WITH NO REAL OPPOSITION, PREZ EXPECTED TO EASILY WIN KAZAKH POLLS

ALMATY: Kazakhs on Sunday voted in presidential elections expected to cement incumbent Kassym-jomart Tokayev’s grip on power, months after deadly unrest spurred a historic shift in the Central Asian country.

At 6pm local time, three hours before the 10,000 polling stations in the country closed, turnout stood at 67.85%.

The victory of President Tokayev is all but a foregone conclusion as the 69-year-old is facing no real opposition.

Authorities detained around 15 protesters demanding free and fair elections in the country’s largest city Almaty.

Last January, the vast former Soviet republic sank into chaos during protests over high living costs which left 238 dead.

Kazakhstan has since then stabilised but tensions persist, as shown by the arrest on Thursday of seven opposition supporters accused of an attempted coup.

Tokayev - once a steady hand known for lacking charisma showed a ruthless side earlier this year by violently suppressing protests. Hoping to turn over a new leaf, Tokayev said he sought a “new mandate of trust from the people” in this election. Observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe criticised Kazakhstan’s failure to meet electoral recommendations.