Former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev was among the early voters in Kazakhstan's capital, Astana, in the November 20 snap presidential election. The country is coping with the authoritarian legacy of Nazarbaev, who transferred power to Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev in 2019 but retained informal influence. After a bloody crackdown on protests in early 2022, Toqaev pledged reforms. Still, opposition parties have been blocked from registration and protesters were detained on election day.