Residents of Kazakhstan's largest city and former capital, Almaty, express their thoughts ahead of early parliamentary elections. The vote will see the emergence of independent candidates, a sign of a tentative opening to democracy despite the persistent authoritarian reflexes in Central Asia's largest country. Journalist Akbota Silim says she will vote, as she would like to "believe it is true" that the changes to the voting system mean "a liberalisation of the political field." For politics exert Dimash Aljanov, however, it is clear that Kazakhstan remains au "authoritarian country" in which elections are designed to maintain the status quo, not change it. IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES