ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s first election to the new unicameral Kurultai marked a significant stage in the country’s constitutional reform, according to international assessments released after the Aug. 23 vote. An OSCE-led mission found the process technically well prepared but said political competition remained limited.
International election observers at an Aug. 24 press conference in Astana. From right: Vincent Piket, Lucija Tacer Perlin, Gábor Hajdu and Sevilay Çelenk. Photo credit: Nagima Abuova / The Astana Times The International Election Observation Mission presented its preliminary findings in Astana on Aug.
24. It brought together the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), deploying 339 observers from 43 countries. The mission said the campaign and election day were generally calm and orderly and that contestants were provided equal conditions to organize campaign activities.
It also cited the range of political parties participating, the absence of independent parliamentary candidacies and differences in party resources as factors affecting the level of political competition. Journalists and international observers attend a press conference on Kazakhstan’s Aug.
23 early parliamentary election in Astana on Aug. 24. Photo credit: Nagima Abuova / The Astana Times “The elections took place at an important moment for Kazakhstan in the continuation of reforms initiated from 2019, which culminated in this year’s constitutional referendum.
After undertaking a constitutional reset of its electoral framework, Kazakhstan’s early parliamentary elections provided an opportunity to see whether these changes opened space for healthy political competition,” said Gábor Hajdu, OSCE Special Co-ordinator and leader of the short-term observer mission.
“Despite some positive aspects, there are few genuine opportunities for independent candidacies, limited space for civil society and the independent media, and a lack of a level playing field consistent with OSCE commitments, including for women,” he added. Political competition and new electoral framework The Aug.
23 election was the first parliamentary vote under the Constitution that entered into force July 1. The new 145-member Kurultai is elected for five years through closed-list proportional representation in a single nationwide constituency with a 5% electoral threshold.
Seven political parties contested the election with 545 registered candidates. Party platforms addressed a range of social and economic issues, although the mission noted that all contesting parties supported President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s policies. The mission also examined the position of Adilet, which merged with the former ruling Amanat party ahead of the election.
Observers said Adilet drew on Amanat’s organizational structures, networks and resources and ran the most extensive and visible campaign. The mission also reported instances involving the use of administrative resources during campaign activities and said these circumstances affected the balance of competition Lucija Tacer Perlin, head of the OSCE PA delegation, said the wider political environment was important alongside the administration of the vote.