Kazakhstan holds first legislative election under new constitution

Kazakhstanis voted on Sunday to elect 145 members to the first convocation of the unicameral Kurultai under a new constitution adopted in March.

Contesting parties must secure at least five percent of the national vote to enter the chamber through proportional representation. The election marks a formal shift from the previous bicameral structure.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has presented the constitutional changes as a step toward greater political competition. Opposition and independent monitors will judge the process by the fairness of campaign access and the counting of votes.

Central Asia has seen limited competitive elections. The outcome of this vote, and the composition of the new assembly, will indicate how far institutional reform has moved beyond formal redesign.