Voter turnout at parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan tops 54% - preliminary data

ASTANA. March 20 (Interfax) - The voter turnout in the Kazakh parliamentary elections stood at 54.19% on Sunday, Deputy Chairperson of the Kazakh Central Elections Commission Konstantin Petrov said, citing preliminary data.

"The preliminary voter turnout reached 54.19%," Petrov told reporters at a press briefing on Sunday evening.

He said that out of 12,035,578 Kazakh citizens entitled to vote, 6,521,860 people received ballots.

In particular, the voter turnout was 57.02% in the Abai region, 60.01% in the Akmola region, 58% in the Aktobe region, 60.03% in the Almaty region, 51.23% in the Atyrau region, 59.20% in the West Kazakhstan region, 65.21% in the Zhambyl region, 55.32% in the Zhetysu region, 59.48% in the Karaganda region, 65.10% in the Kostanai region, 67.21% in the Kyzylorda region, 54.10% in the Mangistau region, 58.68% in the Pavlodar region, 65.25% in the North Kazakhstan region, 53.01% in the Turkestan region, 58.99% in the Ulytau region, and 64.15% in the East Kazakhstan region.

Some 42.91% of citizens on the voter lists in Astana participated in the vote, 25.82% in Almaty, while 45.46% in Shymkent.

Thus, the largest number of voters was registered at the polling stations of the Kyzylorda region, while the lowest number of voters was registered in Almaty.

The preliminary results of the Majilis and Maslikhats elections are scheduled to be announced on Monday, March 20, Petrov said.

"We are planning to sum up the preliminary results of the vote tomorrow. We will announce the exact time of this event additionally tomorrow," Petrov said at a press briefing on Sunday.

On Sunday, Kazakhstan held early elections of deputies to the Majilis, the lower house of parliament, and Maslikhats, local representative bodies of power, of all levels.