Kazakh leader orders 689 million pounds for house building as snap poll looms

A man walks past a poster with a portrait of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev as the country prepares to mark the upcoming Day of the First President, celebrated on December 1, in Almaty, Kazakhstan November 30, 2015. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov

ALMATY (Reuters) - Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev ordered his government on Wednesday to allocate 360 billion tenge (689 million pounds) to build affordable housing to support the economy, which has been hit by the long slide in oil prices.

Nazarbayev's Nur Otan party is almost certain to retain control of the lower house of parliament in a snap election on March 20, and public discontent over worsening economic conditions has so far been muted.