Kazakhstan goes to polls in parliamentary vote

ASTANA: Citizens of energy-rich Kazakhstan went to the polls Sunday in an early parliamentary election expected to provide a commanding majority for ageing autocrat President Nursultan Nazarbayev's ruling Nur Otan party.

Close to 10 million voters are eligible to cast votes in a ballot held early amid economic gloom in the Central Asian state and featuring six parties that mostly support the country's Russia-aligned leader.