Voters go to polls as presidential election kicks off in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is holding a snap presidential election on Sunday after its president of nearly 30 years, Nursultan Nazarbayev, unexpectedly resigned in March.

Among the seven candidates vying for office, Kassym-Jomart Kokayev of the ruling Nur Otan party is a heavy favorite. He was the speaker of the Senate before having been appointed interim president following Nazarbayev’s resignation. His chief opponents are journalist Amirjan Qosanov and opposition lawmaker Dania Yespayeva. 

As of 2pm local time, the turnout was around 35 percent.