Kazakhstan Holds Vote for 145-Seat Parliament as Tokayev Tightens Grip
Updated
Updated · DW (English) · Aug 23
Kazakhstan Holds Vote for 145-Seat Parliament as Tokayev Tightens Grip
3 articles · Updated · DW (English) · Aug 23
Summary
Kazakhstan votes on Aug. 23 for a new 145-member parliament under a revamped constitution that replaces the current two-chamber legislature with a single chamber elected entirely by party lists.
Seven registered parties are on the ballot, but experts interviewed by DW say President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's ruling Adilet party is overwhelmingly likely to win and that genuine opposition candidates have effectively been shut out.
Independent candidates can no longer run, and critics say the key issue is not the chamber redesign but the parliament's weak autonomy and limited ability to oversee the executive branch.
The overhaul is widely seen as strengthening Tokayev while further sidelining the network of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev; earlier constitutional changes also opened the way for Tokayev to seek another seven-year term in 2029.
European governments are expected to stay muted despite concerns over democratic backsliding, as the EU deepens pragmatic ties with resource-rich Kazakhstan, which supplied 12.8% of the bloc's crude oil imports in 2025.
As independent candidates are banned today, is Kazakhstan’s highly praised political reform actually a masterclass in building a modern dictatorship?
With the old elite purged and power centralized, what hidden domestic tensions threaten to shatter Kazakhstan's carefully crafted illusion of stability?
With Europe desperate for uranium and oil, will Brussels completely ignore Kazakhstan's democratic backsliding as its president quietly secures absolute power?