ASTANA, Kazakhstan, August 23. High voter turnout has been observed from the early morning at Kazakhstan’s elections to the Kurultai, Azerbaijani MP Sabina Salmanova said at a briefing, Trend’s special correspondent reports from Astana.
Salmanova, a member of the Azerbaijani Parliament’s Committee on Defense, Security and Combating Corruption and Committee on Public Associations and Religious Institutions, said the Azerbaijani delegation had met with representatives of all political parties participating in the elections.
“We met with all the parties participating in the elections. Our meetings were held at a high level, and we have been very impressed by them. This morning alone, we managed to visit five polling stations — Nos. 130, 175, 485 and 193. I was pleasantly surprised not only by the organization of the work, but also by the turnout so early in the morning. There were both elderly people and young people among those voting. Observers were also present, and we spoke with them. They represented both political parties and public organizations,” Salmanova said.
The elections to the Kurultai, Kazakhstan’s new unicameral parliament established under the new Constitution that entered into force on July 1, 2026, began today.
The Kurultai will comprise 145 deputies elected for a five-year term. The elections are being held under a proportional representation system, with deputies elected from party lists in a single nationwide constituency.
According to the Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan, 12,605,788 voters are registered. A total of 10,423 polling stations have been prepared, including 79 polling stations in 61 countries abroad.
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.
International experts are observing the voting process. A total of 777 international observers from 42 countries have been registered, while representatives of 13 international organizations are also taking part in observation missions.
The Kurultai will replace Kazakhstan’s previous bicameral Parliament, which consisted of the Mazhilis and the Senate.
As of 12:00, voter turnout in the Kurultai elections stood at 37.05%.
