ID :
365092
Mon, 04/27/2015 - 07:37
Auther :

Over 80 Percent Cast Their Votes In Kazakhstan's Presidential Election

From MOHD SHUKRI ISHAK ASTANA, April 27 (Bernama) -- The people of Kazakhstan who cast their votes today to elect a new president are almost certain to re-elect 74-year-old Nursultan Nazarbayev. The Presidential election started at 7am (Astana time) at 9,741 polling stations throughout the country with over 80 percent of Kazakhstan's eligible voters coming out to cast their votes by 4pm, according to a spokesman from the Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan. "Voting which began at 7am ends at 8pm local time. There are 9.5 million eligible voters in Kazakhstan," he told reporters here Sunday. In the three-cornered fight, incumbent President Nursultan from the Nur Otan ruling party is challenged by Turgun Syzdykov, a candidate from the Communist People's Party and Abelgazi Kussainov, a self-nominated candidate and chairman of the Federation of Trade Unions of Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, according to the Chairman of the Public Commission for control of the election, Nurlan Yerimbetov, the election results are expected by Monday. "The voting is proceeding transparently, fairly, openly, with no violations, in a calm formal setting and in accordance with the election law," he told reporters, here Sunday. Nursultan who is seeking re-election for a new five-year term has ruled the oil-producing Central Asian nation since 1989 and is officially called "Leader of the Nation". In the 2011 election, he had gained 95.55 percent of votes and in 2005 he polled 91.15 percent of the votes. The people’s support for Nursultan in two presidential elections in the 1990s were also high said reports. -- BERNAMA

X