Incumbent expected to win Kazakh presidential election

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (AP) — Kazakhstan’s incumbent president is widely expected to secure an easy victory in Sunday’s snap election that comes after bloody unrest shook the country this year and he moved to stifle the influence of his authoritarian predecessor. Five candidates are 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. Tokayev, apparently confident of holding a strong advantage, stayed away from a nationally televised election debate. The national elections commission said about 39% of the electorate had voted by midday (0600 GMT).