Kazakhstan's election commission announced on August 24 that the pro-government Adilet party won over 71% of the votes in the parliamentary election held on August 23. The result is seen as strengthening President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's authority.
According to the commission, four other alliances also secured parliamentary seats: the business-friendly Respublika and Ak Zhol parties, the center-left National Social Democratic Party, and Auyl, representing rural voters.
The commission reported a 74% turnout among eligible voters to elect the new 145-member unicameral parliament, called Kurultai. Approximately 12.6 million of the country's 20 million citizens were eligible to vote.
Adilet was founded earlier this year in the Central Asian nation and is led by senior aides to President Tokayev. Shortly after its formation, it absorbed the previously ruling Amanat party. The other four parties entering parliament are also considered supportive of Tokayev's administration.
The August 23 election was held under a new constitution adopted earlier this year, which streamlined parliament from a bicameral to a unicameral system. Kazakhstan's Supreme Court ruled last month that the new constitution allows Tokayev to run for a new seven-year term.
Officials say the restructuring aims to give parliament a greater role in political decisions. Previously, parliament played only a subsidiary role in the president-centric system.
A former Soviet diplomat and senior UN official, Tokayev has led Central Asia's largest economy since 2019, maintaining good relations with the West, Russia, and China.
Tokayev also initiated a reform program called "Fair Kazakhstan." This initiative followed the 2022 riots that left 238 people dead when protests over living costs escalated.
The 73-year-old leader says he is trying to distance himself from the legacy of his authoritarian predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbayev, who ruled for three decades after the Soviet Union's collapse. Tokayev initially came to power as the chosen successor of Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan's first president, who governed from 1991 to 2019.
Speaking while voting in the capital Astana, Tokayev told reporters it was too early to say whether he would seek another term. He also said he would announce a choice for the vice president position—a new role under the new constitution—within the next 7 to 10 days, adding that the pick would be a "well-known" person.
