Kazakhstan held an early parliamentary election on August 23, 2026, completing a constitutional restructuring that replaced its two legislative chambers with a single assembly called the Kurultai. Citizens elected 145 lawmakers through party lists, with all seven registered parties permitted to participate.
The pro-presidential Adilet party was widely expected to secure an overwhelming majority. Several smaller parties considered loyal to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev were also forecast to enter parliament. Experts interviewed by DW said no other party had a realistic prospect of defeating Adilet, while former senator Zauresh Battalova argued that the party-list system and absence of a political opposition left voters with a very narrow range of choices. Independent candidates could not stand under the new electoral rules.
The election followed constitutional changes initiated by Tokayev in March. According to AP, 87% of referendum voters supported merging the chambers and giving the president power to appoint key officials with parliamentary approval, including through the restoration of the vice presidency. Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Court subsequently found that the amendments reset the calculation of Tokayev’s earlier periods in office, allowing him to seek another seven-year presidential term in 2029.
Tokayev, 73, has served as president since 2019. Before the vote, he described the election as a historic moment and linked the overhaul to faster state decision-making during geopolitical and global pressures. Analysts cited by both AP and DW instead characterized the changes as a consolidation of presidential control. DW’s experts also said the process would further weaken the political bloc associated with Nursultan Nazarbayev, who led Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2019.
Economic and political pressures
The ballot took place as Kazakhstan faced inflation and public dissatisfaction. Inflation reached 10.2% in February, while tax increases contributed to discontent. Analysts told AP that officials remained concerned about a recurrence of the January 2022 unrest, when demonstrations over fuel prices escalated into violence and dozens of protesters and police officers were killed.
Media freedom was another point of contention. Media organizations called on Tokayev to abandon criminal cases against journalists under house arrest and revise legislation. Authorities had opened roughly 10 criminal cases involving independent journalists and prominent bloggers, AP reported. Journalist Lukpan Akhmedyarov said he faced a charge of disseminating false information after publishing a list of Kazakhstani citizens fighting in Ukraine; he could receive up to seven years in prison. He alleged that pressure on independent media intensified before the election.
The political transition also unfolded alongside Kazakhstan’s effort to balance relations with Russia, China and Europe. The country neither formally opposed European sanctions imposed on Russia over the war in Ukraine nor joined them. DW reported that Kazakhstan became the European Union’s second-largest oil supplier in 2025, providing 55.8 million tons of crude, or 12.8% of EU imports. Analysts said Astana was seeking wider economic relationships while avoiding excessive dependence on either Russia or China.
