Kazakhstan's Ruling Adilet Party Wins Majority in First Kurultai Elections

Kazakhstan's ruling "Adilet" (Justice) party has overwhelmingly won the majority in the country's newly formed unicameral parliament, the Kurultai. Preliminary official results show Adilet securing 71.17% of the vote in the elections held on August 23.

In addition to Adilet's dominant victory, four other political parties successfully crossed the 5% electoral threshold. These include "Aul" with 6.26% of the vote, "Respublica" with 5.56%, the "Kazakhstan Democratic Party 'Ak Zhol'" at 5.21%, and the "Social Democratic National Party" with 5.11%.

Parties that failed to gain sufficient support to enter the new parliament include the People's Party of Kazakhstan, which garnered 3.11% of the vote, and the Green Party, with 1.07%. The newly established Kurultai will be Kazakhstan's sole legislative body, replacing the previous bicameral system.

Election authorities reported a robust voter turnout, with 9,351,359 out of 12.6 million eligible voters participating. This represents 74.08% of the registered electorate. The election marks the first time citizens have voted for the Kurultai, a legislative body whose creation was approved in a constitutional referendum in March. The new parliament will consist of 145 deputies, each serving a five-year term.