EditVoting under the rain: families turn out for Kazakhstan’s first Kurultai elections
Tokayev: “A well-known person you all know” will be named Vice President within days
ASTANA – Heavy rain fell across the capital and its outskirts on Sunday as Kazakhstan held its first elections to the new unicameral Kurultai, the parliament created under the constitution that entered into force on 1 July. Despite the weather, polling stations maintained a calm and even festive atmosphere.
I visited two voting sections: one inside Astana’s Opera House and another in the town of Kosshy on the capital’s outskirts. Voters moved steadily through the process. Many brought children. People freely photographed themselves at the ballot boxes – an activity that is permitted, provided the marked ballot itself is not shown. The streets outside remained largely empty, while shopping malls were busy with young people and families.
Saw people voting in a primary school in the town of Kosshy not far from Astana #Kazakhstan #elections #Kurultai Good mood, but bad weather pic.twitter.com/WovJ6rY3wq
— Georgi Gotev & EUalive (@GeorgiGotev) August 23, 2026
By noon, the Central Election Commission reported a national turnout of 37.05 percent, with 4,670,816 voters having received ballots. As in previous elections, Almaty recorded the lowest participation at 17.87 percent. Highest figures came from Kyzylorda (47.59 percent) and Zhetysu (47.29 percent) regions. Astana stood at 35.28 percent.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev cast his ballot at polling station No. 520 in the Palace of Independence. Speaking afterward to journalists, he described the day as historic — the first vote for a single-chamber Kurultai. He gave a positive assessment of the election campaign, noting that televised debates had been substantive and that young people had followed them with particular interest. “This event became a new stage in the modernisation of our country,” he said.
Kazakhstan’s televised debates mark final stretch of parliamentary campaign
Tokayev was asked by journalists about the possibility of seeking another presidential term. This question followed a 7 July Constitutional Court ruling which clarified – responding to a request from Tokayev himself – that terms served under the previous constitution do not count toward the single seven-year presidential term limit retained in the new basic law. In effect, this reset the clock, making Tokayev legally eligible to run again (for what would count as a first term under the new rules). His current term had been framed as a non-renewable seven-year mandate ending around 2029 following earlier 2022 changes.
Tokayev responded that the court’s decision was lawful and granted him the right to seek re-election, but emphasized that it was not the time for such announcements or speculation about future elections or his candidacy. He stressed the need to focus on pressing national tasks, including turning Kazakhstan into “a large construction site” prioritizing social facilities for citizens, and expressed readiness to use the National Fund for these purposes rather than keeping funds in foreign securities. He noted the challenging international situation requiring vigilance and said Kazakhstan had maintained internal peace enabling economic growth. Tokayev added that he might provide a more concrete answer later, suggesting “perhaps next year.”
Tokayev also addressed the newly created post of Vice President, a novelty introduced by the constitutional reform. He said the appointment would be announced within the next week or ten days. “I think it will be a well-known person whom you all know well,” he added, declining to name the individual for now. He stressed that the position is necessary in the current period and forms part of broader institutional changes that will also include the Kazakhstan People’s Council.
The elections complete a sequence of reforms that began with the March 2026 constitutional referendum. On that day, 87.15 percent of voters approved the new basic law on a turnout of 73.12 percent, providing the formal mandate for the transition from a bicameral parliament to the 145-seat Kurultai elected by proportional representation.
As Mukhtar Yerman, Deputy Chairman of the Central Electoral Commission of Kazakhstan, told EUalive in response to a question, many new faces are expected in the new Kurultai compared with the composition of the previous bicameral parliament.
Kazakhstan’s first Kurultai elections: a new constitutional order takes shape
Seven parties competed on a single nationwide list. First results are expected late this evening. Half an hour after the closure of voting sections, the overall turnout was announced at 74.19%, with 51,67% for Astana and 43.23% for Almaty.
S&P Global Ratings on 21 August upgraded Kazakhstan’s long- and short-term sovereign credit ratings to BBB/A-2 from BBB-/A-3, citing resilient GDP growth, ample external and fiscal buffers, and improving fiscal discipline. The agency forecasts growth of 5.1% in 2026 and views the country’s investment programme as a key strength. Yet the upgrade comes with a clear caveat: Kazakhstan remains heavily exposed to disruptions in oil exports, with nearly 80% of its crude still flowing through the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) route via Russia — a vulnerability that EUalive.net has repeatedly highlighted as a structural risk to the country’s energy security and fiscal stability.
The exit poll results were announced past midnight as follows:
Adilet Party – 71.80%
Auyl Party – 6.4%
Respublica Party – 5.4%
Nationwide Social Democratic Party – 5.2%
Baytaq Green Party – 1%
Ak Zhol Democratic Party – 5.1%
People’s Party – 3%
Baytaq Green Party – 1%
Against all: 2.1%
Caption: A husband and wife register ahead of voting, accompanied by their children, in the voting section located in the primary school of Kosshy near Astana, 23 August 2026. [Photo: Georgi Gotev]
Updated: August 24, 2026 - 02:27
