Azernews.Az

AzerNEWS Staff

Read more

Kazakhstan has begun voting in the first elections for deputies of the country’s new unicameral parliament, the Kurultai. Polling stations opened at 7:00 a.m. local time.

The elections are being held for the first time under Kazakhstan’s new Constitution, which entered into force on July 1, 2026. Under the new Basic Law, the Kurultai is the country’s highest representative body and the sole chamber exercising legislative power.

Seven political parties are taking part in the elections. According to data from Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission as of July 23, a total of 545 candidates have been included on the parties’ electoral lists. The new parliament will have 145 seats.

A total of 12,605,788 voters have been registered across Kazakhstan. Voting is taking place at 10,423 polling stations nationwide, including 79 polling stations established at Kazakhstan’s diplomatic missions in 61 foreign countries.

The elections are being monitored by 777 accredited international observers. Of these, 160 represent 42 foreign countries, while 617 represent 13 international organizations.

The observers also include 138 lawmakers from the parliaments of 41 countries.