Kazakhstan votes in first election for new unicameral Kurultai under revised constitution

Voters in Kazakhstan went to the polls on Sunday to elect the first 145 members of the Kurultai, a new unicameral parliament created by a constitution approved earlier this year.

Polling stations opened at 7 a.m. local time. More than 12 million people are eligible to vote. The election follows the abolition of the previous bicameral system and the introduction of a single nationwide proportional list.

Seven parties approved by the state are contesting the seats. The pro-presidential Adilet party, formed months ago after the dissolution of the long-ruling Amanat, is widely expected to take a large majority. Other parties on the ballot are also regarded as loyal to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Genuine opposition parties were not permitted to register. The constitutional changes also reset presidential term limits, allowing Tokayev to seek another seven-year term in 2029 if he chooses.

Tokayev cast his vote in Astana and told reporters it was too early to say whether he would run again. He took office in 2019 as the chosen successor to Nursultan Nazarbayev and consolidated power after the 2022 unrest that he described as a coup attempt.

The Kurultai will serve five-year terms. Parties must clear a 5 percent threshold to enter. Officials present the redesign as giving parliament greater weight; critics say it further concentrates power around the presidency.

Kazakhstan is a major energy and minerals exporter that balances relations with Russia, China and the West. The election result is expected to confirm the current political configuration rather than alter it.