Kazakhstan's Adilet party wins

On Sunday 23 August 2026 Kazakhstan held a snap parliamentary election that delivered a decisive victory for the newly created Adilet party, which secured between 70 percent and 72 percent of the vote in state‑run exit polls. The result hands President Kassym‑Jomart Tokayev a solid legislative majority as the country shifts to a single‑chamber Kurultai under the constitution adopted earlier this year.

Election mechanics under the new constitution

The vote was the first for the 145‑seat unicameral legislature that replaces the previous bicameral parliament. Under the new system all deputies are elected from party lists, and any party crossing the 5 percent threshold gains representation. Seven parties contested the ballot – Adilet, the Nationwide Social Democratic Party, Baitak, the People’s Party of Kazakhstan, Auyl, Ak Zhol and Respublica – alongside a “none of the above” option.

Media additions

More than 10,400 polling stations opened across Kazakhstan at 7:00 am local time, with a handful at military facilities, shift‑worker settlements and continuous‑production sites opening an hour earlier. Citizens abroad could vote at 79 stations in diplomatic missions across 61 countries, although voting was suspended in Iran and Ukraine for security reasons and no station was set up at the Kazakh embassy in Ethiopia because no registered Kazakh citizens reside there.

Interior Ministry spokesman Shyngys Alekeshev said every station had been inspected and placed under round‑the‑clock protection, and that police were on heightened alert throughout the day. Prosecutors later reported eight violations of election legislation during the campaign, including three cases of illegal election‑related opinion polling and five instances of campaign‑related breaches.

Turnout and early results

Three hours after polls opened, the Central Election Commission recorded a turnout of 17.96 percent nationwide. State‑run media later released exit‑poll figures showing overall participation topping 74 percent. The exit polls, published on Kazakh state television, placed Adilet’s share of the vote between 70 percent and 72 percent. Four smaller opposition parties also cleared the 5 percent threshold, although analysts note they are broadly viewed as loyal to the president.

Who is Adilet?

Adilet was formed earlier in 2026 by senior aides to President Tokayev. Within weeks it absorbed Amanat, the party that had dominated Kazakh politics since independence. The swift merger and the party’s pro‑government orientation have been described as a realignment away from figures linked to former President Nursultan Nazarbayev, whose legacy has been contested since the 2022 unrest that Tokayev labelled a coup attempt by Nazarbayev allies.

"These elections are not ordinary elections. These elections are truly of historic importance because the next stage of the national reset begins after the adoption of the new Constitution,"

Erlan Karin, First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration, via TRTWorld

Karin, speaking after voting opened in Astana, framed the ballot as “the beginning of a new stage” in Kazakhstan’s “national reset.” He said the outcome would inject fresh momentum into the country’s political transformation and modernisation agenda.

Official reactions and legal backdrop

President Tokayev, after casting his ballot in Astana, told journalists it was too early to say whether he would seek another term. He added that he would announce his choice for the newly created vice‑president office within the next seven to ten days, describing the eventual appointee as a “well‑known” person.

The Supreme Court confirmed last month that the new constitution permits Tokayev to run for a fresh seven‑year term, a ruling that underpins the political context of the snap election.