Kazakhstan to Hold Elections for New Unicameral Kurultai in August

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has announced that elections for Kazakhstan's new unicameral Parliament, the Kurultai, will be held in August of this year. He made the statement during a ceremony honoring scientists in Astana.

The President emphasized the importance of providing advance notice for significant national events. "Immediately after the new Constitution comes into force, I will sign a decree on holding elections to the unicameral Kurultai," Tokayev stated. "I am speaking about this specifically in advance so that political parties have a clear planning horizon and the necessary time to properly prepare for the election campaign."

He noted that parties would have approximately five months to conduct their work with voters ahead of the vote.

Tokayev described the upcoming parliamentary elections as the beginning of a large-scale "restructuring" of Kazakhstan's entire political system. He added that it is crucial for ongoing political and economic reforms to be closely linked with positive "mental" changes within society.

The announcement follows a major ceremony held in Astana on March 17 to mark the adoption of Kazakhstan's amended Constitution. During that event, Tokayev indicated that future lawmaking would be synchronized with the forthcoming parliamentary elections, which are planned before the opening of a new parliamentary session. The President signed a decree on implementing the new Constitution on the same day.

The constitutional amendments affect roughly 84 percent of the country's Basic Law. Key changes include introducing the position of Vice President, transitioning to a unicameral Parliament (the Kurultai), and establishing a new advisory body—the People's Council of Kazakhstan.