The first of its kind among CIS and Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan conducted a historic referendum, encouraging citizens to directly vote on the construction of a nuclear power plant (NPP). Domestically and internationally, the early voter turnout exceeded 50%, highlighting the importance of the election results, which will significantly influence the nation’s energy future, Kazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The nationwide referendum witnessed notable variations in voter turnout throughout the day, with strong participation in numerous regions. 17.79% of eligible voters had cast their ballots as of 10:00 AM. Karaganda region had the highest turnout at 30.63%, followed by Astana at 24.08%. Almaty and Shymkent reported lower participation percentages, with 19.56% and 8.66%, respectively.
Karaganda maintained its lead at 46.89%, while the overall turnout increased to 39.23% by 12:00 PM. Shymkent experienced a notable rise, increasing from 19.56% to 57.03%. Nevertheless, Almaty experienced only a minor increase, with a total of 11.83%. West Kazakhstan (36.67%) and Zhambyl (34.27%) exhibited lower levels of participation than other regions, such as Akmola (45.48%) and Aktobe (44.87%).
51.77% of eligible voters submitted their ballots, as the turnout continued to increase by 2:00 PM. Turkistan region surpassed Karaganda, which maintained a strong 59.92%, to become the leader with 67.38%. Shymkent additionally increased its turnout to 64.38%, while Almaty maintained a relatively low level of 16.91%. Kostanay and East Kazakhstan also reported significant turnouts, with 61.94% and 61.73%, respectively.
7,062,358 individuals or 57.86% of eligible voters participated by 4:00 PM. Voter turnout varied with Kyzylorda leading at 76.15%, followed by Kostanay at 67.77% and Turkistan at 70.73%.
By 6:00 PM, the total voter participation rate had reached 61.56%. Kyzylorda led with 79.87%, Turkistan followed with 74.23%, and Kostanay with 70.99%. Almaty, despite its improvement, maintained its status as the region with the lowest turnout at 22.91%. Shymkent’s percentage of growth persisted, reaching 68.89%, while Karaganda was 69.48%.
Members of the Central Election Commission reported that 7,820,918 individuals had received ballots as of 8:00 PM or 63.87% of the total number of voters. The maximum number of votes at 82.48% was recorded in Kyzylorda region, while the Mangistau region had a turnout of 54.03%. Akmola region also exhibited a high level of activity, with a turnout of 71.63%, whereas Almaty’s turnout was only 25.39%.