Kazakhstan Votes in First Election for New Unicameral Kurultai

Kazakh voters went to the polls on August 23 to elect the first 145-member Kurultai, the unicameral legislature created by a new constitution that took effect on 1 July. More than 12.6 million citizens were eligible to vote.

The election follows a constitutional referendum held on 15 March that abolished the bicameral parliament. All seats are now filled by proportional representation from closed party lists in a single nationwide constituency. Parties must clear a 5 percent threshold.

Seven state-approved parties are contesting the race. Opinion polls point to a large majority for Adilet, a pro-Tokayev party founded only months ago after the previous ruling party Amanat dissolved itself into it. The remaining parties are also regarded as broadly loyal to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Tokayev, who took office in 2019 as the designated successor of Nursultan Nazarbayev, voted in Astana and told journalists it was too early to say whether he would seek another term. The new constitution resets term limits and allows him to run again in 2029 for a fresh seven-year period.

Critics describe the vote as a mechanism to tighten presidential control. Officials present the change as giving parliament greater weight in decision-making. International observers from 41 countries are monitoring the process.

Kazakhstan is a major energy and minerals exporter. The political consolidation under Tokayev occurs against a backdrop of earlier unrest in 2022 that he characterised as a coup attempt by Nazarbayev allies. The practical test of the new system will be whether the Kurultai develops any independent legislative capacity or remains a formal endorser of executive policy.