2023 Kazakh legislative election

2023 Kazakh legislative election
← 2021 19 March 2023 (2023-03-19) 2028 →
All 98 seats in the Mäjilis
50 seats needed for a majority
Registered12,035,578
Turnout54.21% (Decrease 9.04pp)
  Majority party Minority party Third party
 
Leader Erlan Qoşanov Äli Bektaev Aidarbek Qojanazarov
Party Amanat Auyl Respublica
Last election 71.09%, 76 seats 5.29%, 0 seats Did not exist
Seats won 62 8 6
Seat change Decrease14 Increase8 New
Popular vote 3,431,510 693,938 547,154
Percentage 53.90% 10.90% 8.59%
Swing Decrease 17.19pp Increase 5.61pp New
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Azat Peruashev Ermūhamet Ertısbaev Ashat Raqymjanov
Party Aq Jol QHP JSDP
Last election 10.95%, 12 seats 9.10%, 10 seats Boycotted
Seats won 6 5 4
Seat change Decrease6 Decrease5 Increase4
Popular vote 535,139 432,920 331,058
Percentage 8.41% 6.80% 5.20%
Swing Decrease 2.54pp Decrease 2.30pp Increase 5.20pp
Results by region
Prime Minister before election

Älihan Smaiylov
Amanat

Elected Prime Minister

Älihan Smaiylov
Amanat

Politics of Kazakhstan

Commonwealth of Independent States CIS member state

Snap legislative elections were held in Kazakhstan on 19 March 2023 to elect the members of the Mäjilis.[1][2] This was the ninth legislative election since Kazakhstan's independence in 1991 and the first snap election for the Mäjilis seats since 2016. It was held alongside the local assembly elections.[3]

At the September 2022 State of the Nation Address, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced snap legislative elections to take place in the first half of 2023 in the aftermath of deadly unrest in January 2022.[4] During that time, a series of laws and amendments were approved following the 2022 constitutional referendum, which aimed to reform Kazakhstan's political system by granting more parliamentary powers to the lower chamber Mäjilis as well as for its mandate seats to be allocated via mixed electoral system for the first time since 2004.[5] Following Tokayev's reelection win in the 2022 presidential election, he signed a presidential decree on 19 January 2023 in dissolving the 7th Mäjilis and setting the date for the snap legislative election to take place in March 2023.[6][7][8]

A total of seven parties contested the election, including the newly registered parties of Respublica and Baytaq, as well as an overwhelming number of independent candidates participating in electoral districts.[9][10] Campaigning centered on political and socioeconomic issues such as regional development, national security, agricultural land nationalisation, education, workers' salaries, environmental problems and protection for the Aral Sea and Syr Darya.[11][12]

Several independent opposition candidates under the pressure of the Kazakh government were excluded from the ballots due to alleged claims of election law violations during the campaigning period.[13]

  1. ^ "Токаев объявил о проведении досрочных президентских и парламентских выборов в Казахстане". tass.ru. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  2. ^ "В Казахстане пройдут досрочные выборы президента и парламента". Радио Свобода (in Russian). 3 September 2022. Retrieved 4 September 2022.
  3. ^ Bulatkulova, Saniya (1 September 2022). "Tokayev Proposes to Hold Parliamentary and Maslikhat Elections in First half of 2023". The Astana Times. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  4. ^ "Tokayev announces early presidential, parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan". TASS. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  5. ^ "What amendments to the Constitution of Kazakhstan are being put to a referendum – full text". QazWeek. 31 May 2022. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  6. ^ "Kazakh president dissolves parliament, calls March elections". www.aljazeera.com. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  7. ^ Eruygur, Burc (19 January 2023). "Kazakh president dissolves lower house of parliament, calls early election". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  8. ^ "Kazakh president calls early parliamentary election for March". Reuters. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  9. ^ Sorbello, Paolo (28 February 2023). "Neither Exciting nor Boring: Kazakhstan Prepares for Parliamentary Elections". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  10. ^ BARTLETT, PAUL (28 March 2023). "Kazakhstan election offers rare opening for independent voices". Nikkei Asia. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  11. ^ Ualikhanova, Aruzhan (17 March 2023). "Kazakh Political Parties Conclude Electoral Campaigning with Final Pre-Election Debate". The Astana Times. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  12. ^ Ualikhanova, Aruzhan (10 February 2023). "Closer Look at Kazakh Political Parties as They Prepare to Campaign". The Astana Times. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  13. ^ Rozanskij, Vladimir (6 March 2023). "Astana: Campaign for the parliamentary election in full swing". www.asianews.it. Retrieved 7 April 2023.