Voters in Kazakhstan cast ballots on amending constitution

MOSCOW (AP) — Voters in the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan have cast ballots on proposed changes to the constitution. The measures in Sunday’s referendum were widely seen as an attempt to repudiate the legacy of former strongman Nursultan Nazarbayev, who led the ex-Soviet republic for three decades. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev says he called the referendum to help steer a new course. Tokayev was chosen as president in January by Kazakhstan’s governing party after violent demonstrations left more than 230 people dead. The protests were sparked by a steep rise in fuel prices. But they exposed wide public discontent with a stagnant economy and authoritarian government.