Kazakhstan will vote on 23 August in its first parliamentary election under the new Constitution, choosing 145 members of the new Kurultai under a fundamentally changed electoral system based entirely on party lists.
The Constitution was approved in a nationwide referendum on 15 March and came into force on 1 July, reshaping Kazakhstan’s legislature. The former bicameral parliament, made up of the Senate and the 98-seat Mazhilis, has been replaced by the Kurultai, a single chamber with 145 deputies.
For voters, however, the most consequential change is not the name of the legislature or the number of seats, but the way those seats will be won. All 145 deputies will be elected exclusively through party lists. Single-member constituencies have been abolished, meaning candidates can enter the Kurultai only through a political party.
Seven registered political parties are taking part in the election: Auyl, Aq Zhol, the People’s Party of Kazakhstan, the Nationwide Social Democratic Party, Baitaq, Respublica and Adilet.
Together, they have nominated 545 candidates, including 172 women, with an average age of 45.4.
The election also comes as Kazakhstan’s party landscape undergoes major change. The main newcomer is Adilet, whose founding congress was held in May before the party secured registration in June. It became the first political party in the country to be registered in three years.
Adilet says it supports the president’s reforms. It is chaired by Aibek Dadebay, a former head of the Presidential Administration, while its leadership includes representatives from government, business and civil society.
A significant development followed just two weeks after Adilet’s registration. AMANAT, formerly known as Nur Otan, decided to merge with the newly registered party.
The decision brought an end to a political organisation that had been a major presence in Kazakhstan’s political landscape for decades and positioned Adilet as one of the central participants in the inaugural Kurultai election.
The vote will take place under international observation. According to Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission, 777 international observers have been accredited, including 160 representatives from 42 foreign countries and 617 from 13 international organisations.
Voters will be able to support one of the seven parties or select the “against all” option.
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