The ruling party of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev was set for a crushing election win with over 80 per cent of the vote but with up to two other parties gaining a foothold in parliament, exit polls said.
The snap polls had been called early to breathe new life into a system under which Nazarbayev, 71, put economic prosperity before political freedoms and where his party Nur Otan has until now controlled all the seats in parliament.
While there have been allegations of election fraud, Nur Otan does possess genuine support across the country.
Al Jazeera's Robin Forestier-Walker reports from Almaty, Kazakhstan.
