Kazakhstan on Sunday voted in snap parliamentary elections that saw new faces on the ballot.

Polling stations in the ex-Soviet country had closed with a turnout of 54.19% of the 12 million eligible voters, according to the Election Commission.

A new system has been introduced for this election, with 69 deputies -– out of the 98 in the Majilis, the lower house of Parliament -– elected by proportional representation.

According to exit polls broadcast on state television, the ruling Amanat party is in the lead with 53% of the vote, and five to six parties are expected to enter parliament, compared to three currently.

The 29 deputies elected by the first-past-the-post system were not known on Sunday evening.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced the early vote as part of a "modernization" drive introduced after the country witnessed an attempted coup in January last year.

Independent candidates were allowed to run for parliament for the first time in nearly 20 years.

The threshold to enter the 98-seat legislature has been lowered to five percent and a 30% quota was introduced for women, young people, and people with disabilities.

In total, seven parties participated in this election, two of them recently registered.

Tokayev, 69, promised to reform government institutions and in January dissolved parliament, saying early polls would "give new impetus to the modernization."

After the attempted coup, Tokayev was re-elected in a snap presidential vote in November, securing a landslide win in the election.

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