EditKazakhstan’s first Kurultai marked by sweeping personnel change
Of 145 deputies, 111 are new faces - 76.5 percent of the assembly; the representation of women and youth are stronger
On Friday, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev opened the first session of Kazakhstan’s new unicameral parliament, the Kurultai, and set a demanding agenda of legislative modernization and institutional reform. The 145-seat body, created by the New Constitution that took effect on 1 July, replaces the former bicameral Parliament of Mazhilis and Senate.
Deputies now hold expanded powers, including participation in appointments to the Constitutional Court, Central Election Commission, and Supreme Audit Chamber, as well as the appointment and dismissal of Supreme Court judges on the president’s proposal. Tokayev described this as a strengthening of checks and balances among the branches of government.
A sharply renewed chamber
The first Kurultai is notable for its degree of personnel change. Of 145 deputies, 111 are new faces—76.5 percent of the assembly. Only 36 deputies and senators who served in previous convocations retained their seats. The ruling Adilet party holds 110 seats; Auyl has 10, Respublica 9, and Aq Zhol and the Nationwide Social Democratic Party 8 each. Deputies elected Aibek Dadebai, Adilet chairman and former head of the Presidential Administration, as Chairman of the Kurultai.
Women hold 49 seats, or 33.8 percent of the total. One in every three parliamentary seats is now occupied by a woman. This is an absolute record: never before in Kazakhstan’s history has Parliament included more than 30 percent women. The previous high was 27 percent after the 2016 elections to the Mazhilis of the 6th convocation. Representation in the last bicameral Parliament was far lower.
Youth representation is also stronger. Eighteen members are under 35, or 12.4 percent of the Kurultai. Thirteen were elected from the Adilet party list; the other five come from the remaining factions. The age span between the youngest deputy (27) and the oldest (65) is 38 years. Tokayev presented the higher share of women and young people as evidence of a new generation entering government, public organizations, and business—an intended outcome of the reforms.
The constitutional reform’s purpose was to improve the legislative process and policy-making so the country can develop more successfully and meet geopolitical challenges. Tokayev instructed deputies to bring existing laws into line with constitutional principles, close legal gaps, and raise the quality of draft legislation. He called for laws that are fair, clear to citizens, and progressive. An e-Parliament system is being developed to flag legal risks; Tokayev also urged the careful use of artificial intelligence to support analysis while insisting that technology cannot replace professional legal expertise.
Early legislative priorities include bills on artificial intelligence in secondary education, digital assets, the Digital Kazakhstan strategy, migration policy (including an Altyn “Golden” Visa to attract specialists and investment), library and publishing activities, support for children with special needs, and a proposed ban on social-media registration for children under 16. The Kazakhstan Khalyk Kenesi (People’s Council), a new consultative body with the right of legislative initiative, is expected to be formed in the second half of September.
What comes next
The immediate next steps are the appointment of a government and of the new office of Vice President. Under the New Constitution the Kurultai approves presidential nominees for vice president and prime minister, among other key posts. Tokayev warned that incomplete reforms would be judged harshly by future generations and called on deputies to put national interests first. The first convocation of the Kurultai, he said, opens a new chapter, as the people place great hopes in it.
Caption: First session of the Kurultai [Akorda]
Updated: August 29, 2026 - 07:40
