Sunday's poll was won by President Nursultan Nazarbayev with more than 78% of the vote. The OSCE said it would not recognise the results.

A spokeswoman said the election fell far short of standards expected of Kazakhstan as an OSCE member.

Mr Nazarbayev: Another seven years in power

The vote gave the president another seven years in power. He has led the oil-rich nation since Soviet times.

Turnout was high at around 86%.

Mr Nazarbayev told a news briefing in the new capital, Astana: "You remember the times when turnout was 99.9% and the vote in favour 99.9%?"

"Well, you could say that we have allowed democracy to progress by 20%."

The ballot was the first in the country's history to offer the people a choice. But Mr Nazarbayev's main rival, former prime minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin, was barred from standing on a technicality.

Preliminary results showed Communist Party leader Serikbolsyn Abdildin a distant second with 13.5%, followed by State Customs Committee head Gani Kasymov with 4.3% and Senator Engels Gabbasov with 0.7%.

Historic day

As he cast his vote, Mr Nazarbayev said Sunday would be remembered as the day Kazakhs held their first free and fair presidential election.

Kazakhstan has large oil reserves

In the run-up to the poll, Mr Nazarbayev enjoyed unrivalled access to the media, much of which is in family's hands.

The 58-year-old former steelworker did not promise easy times in his campaign. But he stressed the stability Kazakhstan has enjoyed under his rule, compared to the ethnic and religious strife that has hit some other republics since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.

BBC Central Asia Correspondent Louise Hidalgo says that although most Kazakhs have been living in poverty since independence, many believed Mr Nazarbayev was the only real choice.