Parliamentary elections kick off in Kazakhstan
12M voters head to parliamentary polls to elect deputies in lower house to 5-year terms
People cast their votes at a polling station for parliamentary elections in Nur Sultan, Kazakhstan on January 10, 2021.After Kazakhstan’s last parliamentary elections in 2016, the nation is headed to the polls to elect new lawmakers to 5-year terms. ( Meiramgul Kussainova - Anadolu Agency )
NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan
Kazakh voters headed to parliamentary polls on Sunday to elect deputies for the lower chamber of parliament for five-year terms.
About 12 million registered voters in the country started to vote at 7 a.m. (0100GMT) local time, while citizens living abroad will vote at the same time. The voting will end at 8 p.m. (1400GMT).
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, voters are being checked for high temperatures and getting their hands disinfected before entering polling places nationwide.
The election is being followed by nearly 400 observers from 30 countries and 10 international organizations, including delegations from the Turkic Council and the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-Speaking States.
A total of 312 candidates are running for 107 seats in parliament from the ruling Nur Otan Party, Ak Zhol Democratic Party, Auyl Party, and Adal Party.
After casting his vote, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said authorities did everything to ensure free and just elections, providing equal opportunities to all candidates.
The Kazakh parliament has a Senate and a lower chamber, the latter consisting of 107 deputies who all serve five-year terms.
