ASTANA, Kazakhstan, August 22. Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission (CEC) held a briefing for foreign media representatives ahead of the upcoming elections to the Kurultai, Trend’s special correspondent reports from Astana.
CEC Deputy Chairman Yerman Mukhtar emphasized that the elections are being held within the established timeframe following the adoption of Kazakhstan’s new Constitution. “These are not early elections. These are elections being held within the established timeframe following the adoption of the new Constitution. This is very important,” he said.
During the briefing, CEC member Lyazzat Suyindik presented an overview of the new electoral system and the procedure for forming the Kurultai.
The Kurultai elections will be held under a proportional representation system, with deputies elected from party lists in a single nationwide electoral district. The new Kurultai will comprise 145 deputies elected for five-year terms. According to the CEC, Kazakhstan has 12,605,788 registered eligible voters. A total of 10,423 polling stations have been prepared, including 79 polling stations at 61 diplomatic missions and other locations abroad.
Accreditation of international observers officially closed on August 17, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. A total of 777 experts from 42 countries were registered to participate in election monitoring. Representatives of 13 international organizations are also taking part in the monitoring mission, including the OSCE, the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TurkPA) and other organizations.
On July 1, 2026, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree setting August 23, 2026, as the date for the Kurultai elections.
Seven political parties are participating in the elections: Adilet, the Nationwide Social Democratic Party, the Baitak Green Party of Kazakhstan, the People’s Party of Kazakhstan, Auyl, the Ak Zhol Democratic Party of Kazakhstan and Respublica.
