Preliminary results of Kazakhstan Presidential election announced

Kazakhstan, a large central Asian country located between Russia and China, which is a major energy player in the region, has a new head of state for the first time since gaining independence in 1991.

On Sunday, Kazakhs went to over 9,000 polling stations throughout the country in a snap presidential election, which had a record seven candidates on the ballot. Some 12 million voters were registered in the nation of 16 million people.

The time for the Central Election Commission to determine and announce the election results is within seven days. The official results of the Kazakh presidential election will be announced before June 16th.