Voting started in Kazakhstan on Sunday for its new unicameral parliament, the Kurultai, with 545 candidates from seven political parties contesting the election.

According to Kazakhstan's Central Election Commission, voting began at 7 a.m. local time (0200 GMT). A total of 10,423 polling stations have been set up for the election, with more than 12.6 million registered voters.

Kazakhstan's new Constitution, which took effect on July 1, provides for the establishment of the 145-member unicameral parliament, with lawmakers serving five-year terms. Previously, Kazakhstan had a bicameral parliament consisting of the Mazhilis, or the lower house, and the Senate.