ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev confirmed on April 10 that Kazakhstan will hold its inaugural elections to the unicameral Kurultai legislative body in August, positioning the vote as the opening chapter of an extensive political system overhaul that has been in preparation since the constitutional reform process began.
Speaking during official remarks honoring scientists on their professional holiday, Tokayev stressed the importance of providing advance notice for nationally significant events. According to the presidential administration, Akorda, the head of state indicated that a decree mandating the Kurultai elections would be signed immediately after constitutional amendments fully take effect. This timing grants political parties roughly five months to prepare their campaigns, organize party structures, and reach voters across the country before polls open.
The transition from Kazakhstan's existing bicameral parliament to the unicameral Kurultai represents a fundamental restructuring of the nation's legislative architecture. Tokayev characterized the August elections as marking the beginning of a large-scale transformation of the country's political system, but he was explicit that institutional reform alone would prove insufficient without accompanying changes in public consciousness and civic engagement.
"Such reforms must be accompanied by positive changes in public consciousness," Tokayev stated, underscoring the interdependence between structural political changes and broader societal development as articulated through Akorda. The President added that efforts to destabilize national harmony would face appropriate legal consequences, a statement that analysts read as a warning against exploiting the reform period for destabilizing purposes.
The announcement comes against a backdrop of heightened emphasis on intellectual leadership and progressive values in national development discourse. Tokayev highlighted scientists as standard-bearers of progressive values and moral authority, noting that sustainable national development requires cultivating a culture of responsibility, discipline, and respect for the rule of law. He invoked the legacy of Al-Farabi, the celebrated philosopher born on territory now part of Kazakhstan, to reinforce the principle that knowledge and education must advance together rather than in isolation.