Polling stations have opened in the central Asian republic of Kazakhstan for the election of a new parliament

Polling stations have opened in the central Asian republic of Kazakhstan for the election of a new parliament. Nearly 80 deputies will be elected to the lower house, the Majilis, which is currently dominated by parties loyal to the President Nursultan Nazarbayev. But the political scene has been complicated by the entry into politics of the president's daughter, Dariga. There has been much speculation about whether the father and daughter are allies or potential rivals. When Dariga Nazarbayeva launched a new political party, Asar, earlier this year, she was already a well-known figure in Kazakhstan. Apart from being the president's eldest child, she heads one of the main state television channels.