Overview
- Voting took place on Aug. 23 for the country’s first Kurultai, a 145-seat single‑chamber legislature created by a March constitutional overhaul.
- The pro‑presidential Adilet party is widely expected to win a dominant share of seats, a result that analysts say will bolster President Kassym‑Jomart Tokayev’s authority.
- A Constitutional Court ruling reset presidential terms under the new constitution, a change that makes Tokayev eligible to seek another seven‑year term.
- Opposition groups were effectively kept off the ballot and domestic NGOs that receive foreign funding are barred from inside‑station monitoring, narrowing political competition and scrutiny.
- Authorities opened roughly 10 criminal cases and pursued convictions, travel bans and professional disbarments against independent journalists, and international observers including ODIHR are due to publish interim findings after polls close.