Voting Ends in Kazakhstan's Parliamentary Elections

ASTANA, August 23. /TASS/. Voting at the elections to Kazakhstan’s new unicameral parliament has ended, with more than 10,000 polling stations in the country closing at 8:00 p.m. local time (3:00 p.m. GMT).

Voting at overseas polling stations continue.

According to Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission (CEC), voter turnout at 6:00 p.m. local time (1:00 p.m. GMT) was 72.15%, surpassing that at the 2023 parliamentary elections (54.21%).

Sunday’s elections are being held under the country’s new constitution that was approved at the March 15 referendum. The new constitution provides for the transition to a unicameral parliament (Kurultai). Previously, the country had a bicameral parliament. Seven parties, which have nominated 545 candidates, are vying for 145 seats in the new parliament. Elections are held solely by party tickets. Voters also have the option to vote against all parties. There is no voter turnout threshold.