Kazakhstan’s new parliament gives Adilet 110 of 145 seats

Kazakhstan’s Adilet party has won 110 of the 145 seats in the country’s new unicameral parliament, the Kurultai, according to final results released by the Central Election Commission after Sunday’s early election.

The commission said Adilet received 71.17% of votes cast. Four other parties crossed the 5% threshold: Auyl won 10 seats, Respublica nine, Ak Zhol eight and the Nationwide Social Democratic Party eight. The remaining parties did not qualify for seats under the commission’s allocation. The result gives Adilet a decisive majority in the institution created by this year’s constitutional changes.

An international election observation mission offered a more critical assessment of the competition. In its August 24 preliminary findings, the OSCE’s election office said the vote was technically well prepared but took place in an environment lacking political pluralism. All parties contesting the election supported President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s policies, observers said, and Adilet benefited from the organisational resources of the former ruling Amanat party, with which it merged.

The observers also reported concerns about restrictions on independent candidacies and media, discrepancies between observed activity and official turnout figures, and procedural violations during the count. Their findings are preliminary; they do not alter the commission’s declared result. Election administrators, for their part, carried out voter information and accessibility work that the observers recognised.

The next question is how the Kurultai will use its mandate. A large majority will make it easier for the president-aligned party to pass legislation, while the small seat totals for the other parties leave limited scope for parliamentary challenge. The composition of the chamber is now clear; its willingness to scrutinise government policy remains to be seen.