ASTANA: As Kazakhstan's leader pushes political reforms that critics claim are intended to consolidate power after a year of deadly protests, parliamentary elections are being held on Sunday.

Early voting began at 7 am (0100 GMT). Voting is open for about 1.2 crore people till 8 pm tonight. The vast, oil-rich country remains sandwiched between its former Soviet master Russia and China, which is emerging as a major economic power in Central Asia.

The preliminary vote was announced by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as part of a "modernization" campaign launched in January last year after months of protests against fuel prices. According to the official death toll, 238 people died due to the brutal crushing.

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Tokayev, a former diplomat, was handpicked by his mentor and predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev to take over in 2019 after nearly three decades of rule. However, after the demonstrations, Tokayev erased any traces of that time.

In January, after promising to reform government institutions, he called for early elections in the hope that they would "give a new impetus to modernization." There was skepticism about the changes in Almaty, despite the fact that elections in the former Soviet nation now feature a wider range of candidates.

Will I be voting in the upcoming election? To be honest, I don't really believe that Kazakhstan generally has fair elections, 21-year-old IT specialist Aset Smagulov told AFP ahead of the election.

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For the first time in nearly 20 years, independent candidates were allowed to run for office; The previous lower house was made up of three pro-government parties. A 30 percent quota was introduced for women, youth and people with disabilities, and the requirement to join the 98-seat legislature was reduced to five percent.

Despite the changes, according to political scientist Dimash Alzhanov, the ruling elite continues to control votes. "The election process has changed and seems to offer alternatives. In reality, however, the total vote is still in the hands of the president and his administration," according to Alzhanov, speaking to AFP.

He claimed, "Elections are held here to maintain power. This is how elections are held in a totalitarian state."

After riots erupted as a result of peaceful protests against fuel price increases, Tokayev was re-elected president in a hastily called election in November, winning a landslide in a vote that was met with little or no opposition. was criticized. The purchasing power of the country's approximately 20 million residents is being harmed by rising inflation as well as ongoing inequality and corruption.

Posters of the candidate can be seen in restaurant windows, scaffolding and street lamps in Almaty, a thriving economic centre. Slogans like "Truth is where the truth is" and "Don't mess with me" are vague, and they reveal the candidates' mediocre political platforms. However, some young voters accepted the newcomers.

In parliamentary elections, this is the first time I have seen new parties and independents. Adia Abubakir, a 20-year-old graphic designer, told AFP: "For me, it's new.

A total of seven parties will participate in this election. Although several opposition parties and independents were banned, two of them were registered only recently. "I would like to think that my voice can make a difference," said 21-year-old journalist Akbota Silyam. According to Almaty-based political analyst Andrei Chebotarev, four to five parties will be introduced to parliament after the elections.

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He told AFP that Amanat would hold the majority of seats in parliament, with the presidential party and loyalist parties represented there. But he continued: "The diversity of parties will affect how well the election results at home and abroad."