Kazakhstan voted in a referendum on Sunday on whether to build its first nuclear power plant, and an exit poll showed voters backed the idea promoted by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's cabinet as a way to phase out polluting coal plants.

Polls are open in Kazakhstan Sunday for a landmark referendum on building the country’s first nuclear power plant, confronting the country's painful legacy as a testing ground for Soviet nuclear weapons.

Preliminary voter turnout as of 8 p.m. local time stands at 63.87%, with more than 7.8 million Kazakh citizens having cast their ballots, says Kazakh electoral commission

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 7. 72.3% of Kazakh citizens vote in favor of nuclear power plant construction, says Amanat Party's Institute of Public Policy, Trend reports. An exit poll by the Institute found that 27.7% of voters opposed the project.

Vote comes as Central Asian nation seeks to reduce its reliance on coal and secure a more sustainable energy future

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, October 6. Voter turnout for Kazakhstan’s referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant reached 61.56% by 6:00 PM local time, Trend reports. The country’s Central Election Commission reported that 7.5 million out of 12.24 million eligible voters have cast their ballots so far.

Authorities in Kazakhstan are widely expected to get their way in a referendum on nuclear power. But the question of which countries will be involved in building the future nuclear facility will have to wait until after the vote.

Kazakhstan votes in a referendum on Sunday on whether to build its first nuclear power plant, an idea promoted by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's government as the Central Asian nation seeks to phase out polluting coal plants.