THE hand-picked successor of Kazakhstan’s longtime leader won a sweeping victory in a presidential election.

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took 70.8 percent of the vote in Sunday’s election, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said yesterday, well ahead of his nearest rival, opposition candidate Amirzhan Kosanov on 16.2 percent.

Sunday saw hundreds of arrests after the biggest protests in Kazakhstan in at least three years, as demonstrators urged a boycott of what they said was a fixed election.

Tokayev’s victory was never in doubt after he received the blessing of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who led the Central Asian nation for three decades before his shock resignation in March.

The interior ministry said about 500 people were arrested Sunday, with deputy minister Marat Kozhayev blaming “radical elements” for holding “unsanctioned” rallies.

Activists denounced the arrests and made claims of ballot stuffing, but Tokayev insisted the election had been “a competition.”

“This shows that our level of political culture has seriously increased. There is much work ahead,” he said in comments broadcast on state television.

Authorities said they would investigate all allegations of vote violations.

Tokayev’s opponents were quick to congratulate him on victory, including second-place finisher Kosanov, a journalist who presented himself as the ballot’s sole opposition candidate.

Third place was claimed by Daniya Yespayeva, the first woman candidate in a Kazakh presidential election, who scored 5.2 percent of the ballot according to the CEC. (SD-Agencies)