2019 Kazakh presidential election  Early presidential elections were held in Kazakhstan on 9 June 2019 following the resignation of long-term president Nursultan Nazarbayev. Originally scheduled for 2020, seven candidates were registered to participate in the elections, including incumbent president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who had assumed the presidency three months before the elections following the resignation of Nazarbayev. Tokayev was subsequently re-elected with 71% of the vote. His closest challenger, Amirjan Qosanov of the Ult Tagdyry party, received 16%. On 12 June, Tokayev took the oath of office during a ceremony at the Palace of Independence in the capital, Nur-Sultan. Nursultan Nazarbayev was elected for a 5th term as president in the 2015 elections. He was widely expected to run again in 2020, but resigned in March 2019, stating that Senate Chair Kassym-Jomart Tokayev would take over as president for the remainder of his term. However, on 9 April, Tokayev announced that a snap election would be held on 9 June to avoid "political uncertainty". Some talks arose that Nazarbayev's daughter, Dariga, who succeeded Tokayev as the Chair of the Senate, was expected to run in the election as a way to ensure her father's legacy. However, Dariga stated that she had no plans in joining the race. On 23 April, backed by former President Nazarbayev himself, Tokayev was nominated by the ruling party Nur Otan to be its candidate for the election and became registered on 3 May, putting the rumors of Dariga's possible candidacy aside. The President of Kazakhstan is elected using the two-round system; if no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the first round, a second round is held between the top two candidates. Nine candidates applied to the Central Electoral Commission to contest the elections. A record seven were registered to run, whilst one candidate withdrew and one was disqualified for not possessing sufficient knowledge of the Kazakh language. Tokayev became an acting president after Nazarbayev resigned from office on 20 March 2019. As a result, early elections were announced on 9 April. He was nominated by the Nur Otan on 23 April to be a presidential candidate and became registered on 3 May. Tokayev sought for continuation of Nazarbayev's policies in strengthening the nation, continuing peace, improving lives of citizens, and entering Kazakhstan into the top 30 most developed nations. Tokayev was mocked on social media for the overuse of modification of his official photos, erasing his wrinkles and double chin.