Presidential elections underway in Kazakhstan

07:00, 3 April 2011

ASTANA. April 3. KAZINFORM /Askar Bimendin/ Today at 7:00 a.m. local time most of the polling stations have been opened for voting at the early presidential elections in Kazakhstan. An hour later - because of the difference in time zones - citizens of the western region of the country can start voting. Polling stations will close at 8:00 p.m. Preliminary results of the elections will be announced in the morning of April 4.

As Chairman of the Central Election Commission Kuandyk Turgankulov said at yesterday's briefing, the country's election system is 100% ready to hold the early presidential elections.

9 million 180 thousand Kazakhstani voters will choose one of the four candidates: chairman of the Party of Patriots of Kazakhstan Gani Kassymov, secretary of the Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan Zhambyl Akhmetbekov, head of "Tabigat" Environmental Union Mels Yeleussizov or incumbent president of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.

To this day the country was preparing for two months: on February 4, 2011 President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed the Decree № 1149 "On appointment of early parliamentary elections of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan." According to the document, presidential elections were scheduled for April 3, 2011.

In accordance with amendments made to the Constitutional Law "On elections in Kazakhstan", early presidential elections have one peculiarity - they are called by the Head of State; the campaign is conducted in a shorter time - not 3 months as for regular elections, but two months.

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