Voters across Kazakhstan went to the polls on Sunday, August 23, in the first election for the Kurultai, a new single-chamber parliament created by a constitutional overhaul. The Associated Press reported that the ruling, pro-presidential Adilet party was expected to secure a commanding majority, a result likely to consolidate President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's authority in Central Asia's largest country.
The election follows a March referendum in which 87 percent of voters backed a new constitution that replaced the former two-chamber parliament with the Kurultai. The changes also restored the office of vice president and expanded presidential appointment powers, with parliamentary approval required for some senior posts. The new constitution entered into force on July 1 and ended the mandate of the previous parliament.
Kazakhstan's Central Election Commission said the Kurultai has 145 members elected for five-year terms through proportional representation in one nationwide district. Seven parties registered lists containing 545 candidates, including 172 women. The commission said women, young people and people with disabilities together represented 43.9 percent of candidates on the lists.
Election officials reported 12,561,644 registered voters and prepared 10,427 polling stations, including 82 stations in 64 foreign countries. The commission had also accredited international observers and said more than 71,000 election officials would receive training for voting under the new legal framework. Polling began as authorities presented the ballot as a historic institutional transition.
Tokayev, 73, has led Kazakhstan since 2019 and has argued that the constitutional changes will allow faster decisions in a rapidly changing world. AP noted that he has sought to balance relations with Moscow and Western governments since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The election therefore carries significance beyond domestic politics in a country that is a major energy producer and an important regional power.
The vote is also being watched over the concentration of executive power. Before the March referendum, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights said some interlocutors feared weaker checks and balances, broader limits on rights and more room for executive intervention in civic life. Official results will determine the composition of the first Kurultai and show how much representation the six smaller parties obtain alongside Adilet.
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