Kazakhstan faces legacy of Soviet weapons testing in nuclear power referendum

A woman casts her vote during a referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant, at a polling station in the village of Ulken in the Almaty Region, Kazakhstan, Oct. 6, 2024. A drone view shows the village of Ulken in the Almaty Region, Kazakhstan, Oct. 5, 2024. Ulken was selected as the most preferred location for the construction of a nuclear power plant.

Polls are open in Kazakhstan Sunday for a landmark referendum on building the country’s first nuclear power plant, confronting the country's painful legacy as a testing ground for Soviet nuclear weapons.