(AFP) - Kazakhstan is voting in a mostly ceremonial election that is set to stretch President Nurusltan Nazarbayev’s rule into a third decade amid Western worries about democracy in the resource-rich state.

(Reuters) - Kazakhstan’s veteran President Nursultan Nazarbayev is poised to win another five years in charge of his oil-rich Central Asian state after a snap election on Sunday devoid of any challenge to his two decades in power.

Kazakhstan's oil and gas reserves, as well as its pivotal location, make it of strategic importance to the United States and its allies. But in the run-up to Kazakhstan's presidential election later this week, the country's contested democratic practices and uncertain transition to the next generation of political leaders leaves its future unclear. Unfortunately, due to Washington's preoccupation with the Middle East, North Africa and Afghanistan, both Kazakhstan and its upcoming election run the risk of being largely overlooked.

* Successor choice -- "old guard" versus new managers?

* Nazarbayev to retain power

* Nazarbayev's stability appeals to Western investors

Kazakhstani people are generally not prone to air their political views in public. This is partly due to apathy, a fact regularly deplored by activists, and to some extent to fear of what the consequences might be. The one topic that will raise people's hackles is China and any perceived encroachment of the giant neighbor on Kazakhstan's territory.

ALMATY, Kazakhstan (AP) — Several hundred people rallied Tuesday near Kazakhstan's presidential palace to urge the government to assist homeowners battling repossessions, and a few dozen were detained by police, meeting organizers and witnesses said.