Kazakhstan has announced it has thwarted a coup attempt by supporters of an exiled opposition figure. reports “France Press”.
The country’s authorities arrested seven people ahead of this weekend’s presidential election.
Kazakhstan to hold snap presidential elections on Sunday, which should consolidate the power of the current head of state, Kasim-Jomart Tokayev, months later deadly excitement rocked the Central Asian country, claiming 230 lives.
The National Security Committee indicated that a group of seven people intended to do so “organize rebellions and coups and proclaim a provisional government”, adding that the suspects “share the views of exiled opponent Mukhtar Ablyazov”.
Ablyazov – former energy minister and president of a bank, is an extremely controversial figure who Kazakhstan convicted in absentia of murder and embezzlement.
Ablyazov, who lives in France, has been encouraging the protests through his social media channels.
According to information from the security service the group tried to stage large-scale riots and planned to attack administration and law enforcement buildings with weapons and ammunition.
Were seized weapons, including Kalashnikov assault rifles, shotguns, ammunition and materials for petrol bombs, as well as walkie-talkies.
Tokaev, 69, became president in 2019. consolidating power by sidelining his authoritarian predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev after the January riots.
He presents himself as a reformist leader capable of uniting the country.
The vast ex-Soviet country is geopolitically as precariously located as it is historically economic and military ties with Moscow are tense because of Ukraine.
Tokaev promised to build a “new Kazakhstan” liberalizing the judicial system, fighting corruption and initiating reforms.
However, the deep social inequality that underpinned the January protests remains a problem and a potential political threat.
Tokaev faces five little-known challengers in the race for a seven-year presidential term in early voting, which he launched in September, saying he needed “a new term of confidence from the people”.
The elections were originally scheduled for December 2024, but in March introduced constitutional reforms to limit the president’s powers and strengthen the role of parliamentwhich led to early voting.
