On the morning of August 23, polling stations across Kazakhstan opened to voters for the snap parliamentary election, running from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. local time. More than 12 million of the Central Asian nation's 20 million residents are eligible to vote.
The election will choose a 145-member unicameral legislature, expected to be dominated by lawmakers supportive of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who has led the country since 2019.
Earlier this year, a comprehensive constitutional reform abolished the upper house, replacing it with a unicameral parliament. Officials argue the change gives the legislature a larger role in political decisions, a shift from its previously auxiliary position.
However, only seven state-approved parties, all loyal to President Tokayev, are allowed to compete. Critics contend the election will effectively consolidate the president's power further.
Additionally, the constitutional amendments reset term limits, allowing the 73-year-old Tokayev to run for re-election in 2029.
Tokayev was once the designated successor of long-time leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, who ruled for nearly three decades from the 1990s. However, he distanced himself from his predecessor after the 2022 cost-of-living protests that left 238 people dead, and has since pursued a reform agenda dubbed "Fair Kazakhstan."
As a former Soviet republic, Kazakhstan balances relations with China, Europe, and Russia. Tokayev must navigate recent tensions linked to Moscow's war in Ukraine.
Kazakhstan, an oil-rich nation, accounts for about 2% of global daily supply, primarily exporting to European countries via the Caspian Pipeline Consortium to the Russian port of Novorossiysk.
