Kazakhstan's August 23 Vote Shifts to a Single-Chamber Parliament Dominated by Tokayev's Party

Kazakhstan’s parliamentary election on August 23 will be the inaugural poll under a newly adopted constitution that eliminates the previous two-chamber system in favor of a 145-member single chamber, the Kurultai, elected exclusively from party lists. Seven parties have been cleared to run, including President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s ruling Adilet party, yet scholars such as Luca Anceschi and Stefan Meister argue that the election is engineered to cement Tokayev’s authority and further diminish the influence of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev’s bloc.

The new rules also eliminate independent candidacies, narrowing genuine political competition, as noted by former senator Zauresh Battalova. While the EU’s pragmatic focus on energy imports—Kazakhstan supplied 12.8% of EU oil in 2025—means little institutional pushback, civil-society bodies may voice concerns. Kazakhstan continues to balance relations with Russia, the EU and China, seeking diversification without over-reliance on any single power. The outcome is expected to reinforce an authoritarian but comparatively less repressive regime in Central Asia.