ASTANA — Kazakhstan’s first Kurultai election has shifted the focus from winning votes to how effectively political parties can represent voters, develop clear political agendas and deliver results in parliament, experts said following the Aug. 23 vote. Experts at Sarap meeting on Aug.25.
Photo credit: Nagima Abuova The Central Election Commission (СEC) confirmed final results on Aug. 25. Five parties entered the 145-seat Kurultai after clearing the 5% threshold, with Adilet securing three-quarters of the seats. The People’s Party of Kazakhstan received 3.11% and Baytaq 1.07%, while 2.51% of voters selected “against all.” Dominant majority, higher responsibility Political scientist Gaziz Abishev.
Photo credit: Abishev Analytics Telegram channel Political scientist Gaziz Abishev said the scale of Adilet’s majority places greater responsibility on the party to deliver results in Kurultai’s inaugural term. “In other words, everything that will be done by the Kurultai and the institutions stemming from it during its first convocation will rest fully with the Adilet party and its leadership, given the vertical nature of management in Parliament,” Abishev wrote in his Telegram channel.
In his remarks to Kazakhstanskaya Pravda newspaper, Kazakh statesman Yerlan Koshanov said the campaign showed voters increasingly assessing parties by the substance of their programs and proposals rather than slogans alone. He said the first Kurultai’s lawmakers would be responsible for translating the new Constitution’s principles into legislation.
“Party programs became a subject of comparison and analysis, rather than simply a backdrop to the election campaign. People began to understand more deeply the role and place of such an important political institution as a party and to view it as a pillar of civil society,” said Koshanov.
Turnout rises, voter preferences consolidate Participation was one of the clearest differences from the previous parliamentary election. Turnout in 2023 stood at 54.19%, compared with 74.08% in the first Kurultai election. Turnout was also close to the 73.12% recorded during the March referendum on the new Constitution.
Marian Abisheva, deputy director of the Presidential Center of Kazakhstan, said pre-election polling consistently pointed to high participation, with different surveys generally placing potential turnout between 70% and 76%.