ASTANA, Kazakhstan, August 23. People are voting voluntarily and in good spirits in Kazakhstan’s elections to the Kurultai, Ambassador of the State of Palestine to Kazakhstan and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps Montaser Abu Zeid said during a briefing, Trend’s special correspondent reports from Astana.
“As the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the State of Palestine to the Republic of Kazakhstan, I am an international observer. Regarding today’s elections, we visited many polling stations from early morning. There were no violations. People are voting voluntarily, in good spirits and without any pressure.
I would like to congratulate the people of Kazakhstan and its wise leadership headed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on holding democratic elections and wish the people of Kazakhstan peace, security and stability,” Abu Zeid said.
Elections to the Kurultai, Kazakhstan’s new unicameral parliament established under the Constitution that came into force on July 1, 2026, began today.
The Kurultai will consist of 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 electoral district.
According to the Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan, 12,605,788 voters have been included in the electoral lists. 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 Baytaq Kazakhstan Green Party, the People’s Party of Kazakhstan, Auyl, the Ak Zhol Democratic Party of Kazakhstan and Respublica.
International experts are monitoring the voting process. A total of 777 international observers from 42 countries have been registered. Representatives of 13 international organizations are also participating in observation missions.
The Kurultai will replace Kazakhstan’s former bicameral Parliament, which consisted of the Mazhilis and the Senate.
As of 14:00, 6,696,002 voters had received ballots nationwide, representing 53.12% of those included in the electoral lists.
