Observers see irregularities in Kazakh election

Moscow, Mar 21: An international election observation group says there were irregularities in Kazakhstan's parliamentary elections, which affirmed the ruling party's grip on power.

Exit polls show President Nursultan Nazarvayev's political party Nur Otan won a sweeping and unsurprising victory with around 80 per cent of the popular vote.

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe's special coordinator for election observation in Kazakhstan, Geir Joergen Bekkevold, told reporters today that international observers, who were allowed unfettered access, observed ballot-box stuffing and other irregularities.

The vote comes amid a collapse in Kazakhstan's economic fortunes caused by the falling price for oil, its main export commodity. Inflation is around 15 per cent and the currency has lost 30 per cent of its value.

AP