Incumbent expected to win presidential election in Kazakhstan

A member of the election commission speaks to a voter at a polling station in Almaty, Kazakhstan (Vladimir Tretyakov/NUR.KZ/AP)

The incumbent president of Kazakhstan is widely expected to secure an easy victory in a snap election that came after bloody unrest shook the country and he moved to stifle the influence of his authoritarian predecessor.

Five candidates were on the ballot against President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. With a short campaign period that began in late October, they had little opportunity to mount significant challenges.