A new dawn for Kazakhs as country witnesses first transition of leadership

The polling centre at ‘Schoolchildren’s Palace’ on June 9, when Kazakhs went to the polls to elect a new president.

THESE are fascinating times for Kazakhstan, the world’s ninth largest country.

The nation with a Soviet past is only into its 28th year of independence. And last Sunday, Kazakhs voted in Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as the new president, just the second person to hold the job after Nursultan Nazarbayev, who stepped down in March after almost 30 years at the helm.