Kazakhstan to hold parliamentary election in August, president says

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the president of Kazakhstan, said on Friday (10 April) that a parliamentary election in the Central Asian country would take place in August but stopped short of naming an exact date.

Kazakhs voted overwhelmingly in March to adopt a new constitution aimed at streamlining the country’s parliament and restoring the post of vice-president.

The reforms will reduce the legislature from two chambers to one. The new unicameral body, to be called the Kurultai - meaning “gathering” in Kazakh - will reflect the country’s steppe traditions and include 145 deputies serving five-year terms.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stressed the importance of giving advance notice for nationally significant events, saying a decree to hold elections to the unicameral Kurultai would be signed once the constitution comes into force, allowing political parties about five months to prepare and campaign.

He said the vote would mark the start of a large-scale transformation of Kazakhstan’s political system and should be accompanied by positive shifts in public consciousness, according to Akorda.

• Implications of Kazakhstan’s constitutional overhaul
• Kazakhstan to hold next presidential election in 2029, Tokayev says after constitutional referendum
• Kazakhstan votes in referendum on new constitution

The current parliament is set to dissolve on 1 July.

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