ASTANA, Kazakhstan — Polls have opened in Kazakhstan for an election that is expected to overwhelmingly reconfirm the leadership of long-serving President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
More than 1,000 international observers are overseeing today’s vote in the authoritarian Central Asian nation, which has already come under criticism for a perceived lack of fairness.
Nazarbayev, a 70-year-old former Communist Party boss, has ruled Kazakhstan virtually unchallenged since the 1980s, when it was part of the Soviet Union.
The other three contenders are low-profile politicians who have all expressed support for Nazarbayev.
Prominent opposition leaders have declined to take part in what they have described as a sham and have urged voters to boycott the election.
Denver Post wire services
