ASTANA, October 7. /TASS/. The construction of a nuclear power plant (NPP) in Kazakhstan was supported by 71.12% of citizens in a referendum held on October 6, according to preliminary data from the Central Commission of the referendum.

"The number of people who took part in the referendum was 7,820,204, or 63.66% of the number of citizens entitled to take part in the referendum. The number of citizens who voted for a positive decision on the issue submitted to the referendum was 5,561,937 people, or 71.12%," the commission said.

The total number of citizens eligible to vote in the referendum was 12,284,487. Meanwhile, the number of people who did not support the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan was 2,045,271.

The referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan was held on October 6. In total, more than 10,000 polling stations were open on the day of voting, including 59 locations abroad. The referendum was recognized as valid as more than 50% of eligible voters participated. In order for a decision to be made on a question submitted to a referendum, it must be supported by more than half of the citizens who voted.

In turn, Head of the observer mission of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), First Deputy Secretary General of the CIS Leonid Anfimov noted that the referendum on the NPP construction in Kazakhstan was held in accordance with the law and was organized at a high level. "The CIS observer mission believes that the referendum was held at a high organizational level, in a free and open atmosphere, in accordance with the constitutional law of the Republic of Kazakhstan on a national referendum," he said.