Kazakhstan's ruling party comforably won an election for the country's new, single-chamber parliament on Sunday, according to exit polls.
State television shared three exit polls giving the Adilet party between 70% and 72% of the vote.
The vote comes after a new constitution approved in March did away with the Senate to create a new unicameral Kurultai — a reference to the medieval councils of the region's nomadic past.
Backers of the new body say it will give parliament more say in decision making, critics argue it will only cement the power of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The 73-year-old took the reins from authoritarian Nursultan Nazarbayev — who himself ruled the country for 30 years after the collapse of the Soviet Union — in 2019.The constitutional reform also opens the door for President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to stay in power Image: Turar Kazangapov/REUTERS
