The Kazakh pro-presidential party Nur Otan led in early parliamentary election with 80.74 percent of the vote early on Monday, Jan 16, with two other parties surpassing the seven-percent threshold to enter parliament, election officials said.
According to RIA Novosti, the vote results mean an end to Nur Otan’s monopolistic grip on the legislature, in place since 2007, although the two parties that managed to surpass the seven-percent barrier to enter parliament, the pro-business Ak Zhol and the Communists, will apparently receive a small portion of the seats in the 107-strong lower house, the Majilis.
Ak Zhol gained 7.46 of the vote and the Communist Party 7.2 percent, according to election commission head Kuandik Turgankulov.
Election monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe were due to issue their assessment on the vote later Monday.
