Kazakhstan’s newly formed pro-government party wins parliamentary election

What the report says

Kazakhstan’s newly formed pro-government Adilet party has won the country’s parliamentary election, according to the electoral commission, in a result that is likely to strengthen President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s position. Al Jazeera reported that Adilet, founded earlier this year and led by Tokayev’s close allies, took more than 71 percent of the vote in Sunday’s poll.

The commission said four other parties also entered the new 145-seat, single-chamber parliament, known as the Kurultai: Respublika, Ak Zhol, the Nationwide Social Democratic Party and Auyl. All of them are generally viewed as supportive of Tokayev’s administration. Officials said turnout was 74 percent, with about 12.6 million eligible voters in a country of around 20 million people.

The vote followed a constitutional change adopted earlier this year that replaced Kazakhstan’s former two-chamber legislature with one chamber. The reform was presented by officials as an effort to give parliament more influence, though the presidency remains the dominant political center. The Supreme Court also ruled last month that the new constitution allows Tokayev to seek another seven-year term.

Tokayev, who has led Kazakhstan since 2019, has promoted a reform agenda he calls “Just Kazakhstan.” Al Jazeera noted that he has sought to distance his rule from that of his predecessor, Nursultan Nazarbayev, while balancing relations with Russia, China and Western governments.