ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s first election to the new Kurultai is reshaping more than the country’s parliamentary architecture, said experts at an Aug. 24 meeting in Astana organized by the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS). They pointed to voter turnout, a bigger role for political parties and growing geopolitical competition around Central Asia at a moment when Kazakhstan is seeking to translate constitutional reform into a more durable political system.
KazISS convened experts to discuss the Sunday vote and what it means for the country’s political landscape moving forward. Photo credit: KazISS The Adilet party secured 71.17% of the vote in Kazakhstan’s first elections to the Kurultai, according to preliminary results announced by the Central Election Commission (CEC) on Aug.
24. The Auyl People’s Democratic Patriotic Party received 6.26%, followed by Respublica with 5.56%, the Aq Zhol Democratic Party with 5.21%, and the Nationwide Social Democratic Party with 5.11%. The People’s Party of Kazakhstan received 3.11%, while the Baytaq Green Party received 1.07%.
The against all option received 2.51% of the vote. Under Kazakhstan’s electoral legislation, political parties must secure at least 5% of the vote to qualify for seats in the Kurultai. Based on the preliminary figures, five parties crossed the threshold. Zhandos Shaimardanov.
Photo credit: KazISS The Aug. 23 election marked the first test of Kazakhstan’s new constitutional architecture, moving changes adopted earlier this year from legal design into political practice, said KazISS Director Zhandos Shaimardanov. He pointed to turnout of more than 74% and the preliminary indication of five parties above the 5% threshold as two features likely to shape the new legislature: a dominant political force alongside several smaller parties represented in the Kurultai.
“The task now is to understand how this electoral choice will translate into the work of the new Kurultai, its legislative priorities and the parties’ day-to-day activities,” he added. Domenico Palmieri, director of the Italian Institute for Asia, said the election is just the beginning of a long path because the election itself cannot tell whether institutional reform has worked as that will be determined based on Kurultai’s performance.
“Yesterday was a very important day for Kazakhstan, but it’s only the start of a new path. All these changes, all these reforms must be implemented and followed in the coming months and years,” said Palmieri, who has followed Kazakhstan’s presidential election in 2022, the constitutional referendum in March and the parliamentary vote on Aug.
23. He described the transition to a unicameral parliament as a potentially more efficient model but said its effectiveness could only be assessed once the newly elected lawmakers begin legislating. “I think we must wait six months just to see how the new parliament and new deputies will do their job,” he added.
From a technical perspective, the election proceeded smoothly, he said. What particularly stood out to Palmieri and what differs from the situation in Italy was the willingness of Kazakh citizens to vote and express their views on the country’s development. Citing nearly 75% of eligible voters casting ballots in Kazakhstan, the expert said in Italy, turnout of 50% would be considered a success.