Voting begins in Kazakhstan referendum to build nuclear power plant

Voting in a referendum to build Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant began on Sunday, with Korea keenly watching the process as one of the four candidates for the project if the referendum passes.

Voters at a polling station in central Astana register their identification for voting with polling station officials on Sunday. The referendum being held the same day, the third in Kazakhstan’s history, will decide whether the country’s first nuclear power plant will be built. [LIM JEONG-WON]

ASTANA, Kazakhstan — Voting in a referendum to build Kazakhstan’s first nuclear power plant began on Sunday, with Korea keenly watching the process as one of the four candidates for the project if the referendum passes.

A total of 10,323 polling stations in the Central Asian country and 74 more abroad welcomed more than 12 million voters on Sunday, the only day of voting for the referendum. As of 2 p.m. local time, 51.77 percent of registered voters had cast their ballot, according to the Central Election Commission (CEC) of Kazakhstan, guaranteeing that the results, which will be announced Monday, will be made official.

The referendum on the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan is the third in the nation’s history and part of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s administration’s efforts to make the government more approachable and develop Kazakhstan into a “listening state” for the people.

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) is one of the four candidates up for bid to construct the nuclear power plant if the referendum passes. The other three candidates are companies from France, China and Russia.

Voters at polling stations in Astana, the Kazakh capital, and the small town of Akmol on the outskirts of Astana expressed both enthusiasm and reservations about a nuclear power plant being built in the country, but they were unanimously adamant about the need for a referendum and its function of listening to the opinions of the Kazakh people.

“I think this move — building a nuclear power plant — is crucial for the future of the country, not just in securing energy but also in developing our industries,” said a senior voter in Akmol who had come to the nearest polling station despite having broken her arm. “We need to think about what is best for our children and how our country needs to move forward.”

Some voters were less convinced about the idea of a nuclear power plant; however, a few expressed doubts about the risks and considerations that need to be taken into account for it to be built.

A voter leaves a voting booth after casting his ballot at a polling station in central Astana on Sunday. [LIM JEONG-WON]

“I have some contradictions regarding the nuclear power plant, and I am not so sure about my own vote either,” said another voter in Astana. “On the one hand, it is a good idea, but on the other hand, I do not think that the country is quite so mature to handle such things. Many construction projects in Kazakhstan take a lot of time, and sometimes, there are delays in the schedule, which takes more and more funds. Therefore, this is a highly sensitive issue. The contractor should be quite qualified, and the government should be very responsible.”

International observers overseeing the referendum process ensured that the voting preparations and process were held per relevant laws and were open, free and legitimate.

Officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan and members of international observer organizations speak during a press conference for foreign correspondents at the Saad Hotel in Astana on Sunday. [LIM JEONG-WON]

“It is evident, through our meetings with the CEC and visits to many polling stations, that the referendum that is in progress is being held openly and transparently so that citizens can make their conscious choice,” said Oleg Kopylov, head of mission and deputy secretary general of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, one of the four international observers of the referendum.

“There is up until now an unprecedented large number of observers at each of the polling stations,” said Anton Lopatin, a member of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation, another international observer.

The results of Sunday’s referendum will be announced the following day at around 10 a.m. local time.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]