"According to the latest data provided by the regional commissions of the cities of Almaty, Shymkent and Astana, voting has started at all 10,033 polling stations across the country and 17 polling stations at the representative offices of the Republic of Kazakhstan in foreign countries," Mukhtar Yerman, Secretary of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan, said at a press briefing on Sunday morning.
He specified that another 51 polling stations abroad will open taking into account the difference in time zones.
As of 7:00 a.m. Astana time (01:00 GMT), polling stations were open in most of Kazakhstan’s regions. Voting will end at 20:00 Astana time on Sunday. In the western regions, due to the time difference, polling stations will close an hour later.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev voted on Sunday morning at one of the polling stations in the capital city, Astana. Asked by a reporter whether the government will be dismissed after the election and whether a "political reset" will take place, Tokayev said that there will be some changes in government, but the law does not require the government to resign after the presidential election, unlike parliamentary elections.
ZZ/PR