ASTANA, Kazakhstan,
August 22. Kazakhstan’s Central Election
Commission (CEC) held a briefing for foreign media representatives
ahead of the upcoming elections to the Kurultai, Trend’s special correspondent
reports from Astana.
CEC Deputy Chairman Yerman Mukhtar emphasized that the elections
are being held within the established timeframe following the
adoption of Kazakhstan’s new Constitution. “These are not early
elections. These are elections being held within the established
timeframe following the adoption of the new Constitution. This is
very important,” he said.
During the briefing, CEC member Lyazzat Suyindik presented an
overview of the new electoral system and the procedure for forming
the Kurultai.
The Kurultai elections will be held under a proportional
representation system, with deputies elected from party lists in a
single nationwide electoral district. The new Kurultai will
comprise 145 deputies elected for five-year terms. According to the
CEC, Kazakhstan has 12,605,788 registered eligible voters. A total
of 10,423 polling stations have been prepared, including 79 polling
stations at 61 diplomatic missions and other locations abroad.
Accreditation of international observers officially closed on
August 17, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. A total of 777 experts from 42
countries were registered to participate in election monitoring.
Representatives of 13 international organizations are also taking
part in the monitoring mission, including the OSCE, the Conference
on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), the
Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TurkPA) and other
organizations.
On July 1, 2026, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
signed a decree setting August 23, 2026, as the date for the
Kurultai elections.
Seven political parties are participating in the elections:
Adilet, the Nationwide Social Democratic Party, the Baitak Green
Party of Kazakhstan, the People’s Party of Kazakhstan, Auyl, the Ak
Zhol Democratic Party of Kazakhstan and Respublica.
