Kazakhstan Sets August 23 Election Date for New Unicameral Parliament

ASTANA, July 1. /TASS/. Kazakhstan will hold elections to its newly established unicameral parliament, the Kurultai, on August 23, under a decree signed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

"I hereby decree that elections for deputies to Kazakhstan’s Kurultai be held on August 23, 2026," reads the document published by the Kazakh presidential press service.

The decree also instructed Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission to organize and conduct the vote, while directing the government and regional authorities to provide the necessary logistical support. The decree entered into force immediately upon publication.

The unicameral parliament was established after the country’s new Constitution took effect on July 1. The constitution replaced Kazakhstan’s bicameral legislature with a 145-seat unicameral parliament whose members will serve five-year terms. All Kurultai members will be elected on party lists, while the previous election system also included single-mandate constituencies.

According to the new Constitution, the Kurultai must convene its first session within 30 days after the election results are announced. Once the Kurultai is elected, a vice president may be appointed in the country, with lawmakers voting for a candidate nominated by the head of state. In addition, the new Constitution also requires the government to resign before the newly-elected Kurultai, after which a prime minister will be appointed in coordination with lawmakers.