An ally of Kazakhstan's long-time ruler looks to have won the Central Asian nation's presidential elections amid unrest.

Sunday's vote was marred by a police crackdown on protesters who took to the streets against what they see as a mockery of democracy.

The Central Election Commission said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev won nearly 71% of the vote with all the ballots counted.

Mr Tokayev became acting president when Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had led the country since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, abruptly stepped down.

Shortly after Mr Nazarbayev resigned, Kazakhstan's ruling party nominated Mr Tokayev for presidency in what was largely seen as an orchestrated handover of power.

Some 500 people were taken into custody after police broke up rallies in Kazakhstan's two largest cities.