International observers and experts have highlighted the political significance of Kazakhstan's first elections to the new unicameral Qurultay, while observers who visited polling stations described the voting process as organized and transparent, a Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
Jerzy Olędzki, a member of the Council of the M. Boym Institute for Asian and Global Studies and an expert on Central Asia, said the election could influence the direction of Kazakhstan's domestic reforms and its multi-vector foreign policy. Olędzki also emphasized the importance of Kazakhstan's stability for Poland and the European Union, describing the country as an important economic and political partner.
"For my country, for Poland, as well as for the other members of the European Union, it's very important that Kazakhstan remains a stable and reliable economic and political partner," he said. The broader political significance of the election was highlighted by Ken Moriyasu, Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute, who said the vote should be viewed in the context of Kazakhstan's efforts to maintain political stability amid a volatile geopolitical environment.
Moriyasu noted that Kazakhstan's transition to a unicameral parliament, the introduction of the vice-president position, and changes to the presidential term should be viewed as interconnected elements of the country's political trajectory. "These three are all part of the same direction in terms of ensuring that Kazakhstan maintains a multi-vector foreign policy and that there is a clear path to succession, I think, in 2029," he told Qazinform.
The regional significance of the election was emphasized by Basel Al-Hadj Jassem, a political analyst from the Netherlands specializing in international relations and Middle Eastern politics. He noted that the vote marked the first elections to Kazakhstan's new unicameral parliamentary system and described them as an important stage in the country's constitutional and political reforms.
Al-Hadj Jassem also stressed that the country's stability is important not only for Kazakhstan but also for the wider region. Observers who visited polling stations also reported positive impressions of the voting process. Muiz Wahabdin, Editor-in-Chief of The Geneva Times and head of the NGO Le Conseil Universel des Droits de l’Homme, said observers were able to follow the voting procedures openly at the two polling stations they visited.
"From what we personally observed, I would like to share some positive impressions. At the polling station we visited, the process appeared well organized and transparent. We were able to observe the procedure openly," he said.