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European Interest (17 August 2026)

Gábor Hajdu, Lucija Tacer Perlin

On 23 August, Kazakh voters will choose the 145 members of a new unicameral parliament, the Kurultai. The vote follows a constitutional referendum held in March and the entry into force of the revised constitution on 1 July. The changes introduce a single nationwide constituency using closed-list proportional representation and form part of a broader redesign of Kazakhstan’s institutional architecture, including the replacement of the bicameral parliament by the Kurultai, the reintroduction of the vice-presidency and the creation of the People’s Council.

Observers from the OSCE – including its Parliamentary Assembly and Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, working closely with a delegation from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe – will be on hand to assess the electoral process.

The significance of these elections goes well beyond the composition of the next parliament. They will provide the first opportunity to see how the new constitutional and electoral arrangements operate in practice.

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