At stake in this election:

• 77 seats in the Lower House (Majilis)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Nursultan Abishevich NAZARBAYEV
• Head of Government: President Nursultan Abishevich NAZARBAYEV
• Assembly: Kazakhstan has a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate with 47 seats and the Lower House (Majilis) with 77 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by simple majority vote to serve a 7-year term.
• In the Senate, 7 members are appointed to serve 6-year terms and 40 members are elected by indirect vote to serve 6-year terms*. In the Lower House (Majilis), 67 members are elected by popular vote to serve 5-year terms and 10 members are elected through a party-list proportional representation system to serve 5-year terms.

* In the Senate, 7 members are appointed by the president and 40 are elected by indirect vote by state assemblies, all to serve 6-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Republic Political Party Otan (OTAN)*
  • Leader: President Nursultan NAZARBEYEV
  • Seats won in this Lower House election: 23
  • Seats won in last Lower House election: 7
• Party: The Communist Party of Kazakhstan (CPK)
  • Leader: Serikbolsin ABDILDIN
  • Seats won in this Lower House election: 13
  • Seats won in last Lower House election: 2
• Party: The Communist Party of Kazakhstan (CPK)
  • Leader: Serikbolsin ABDILDIN
  • Seats won in this Lower House election: 3
  • Seats won in last Lower House election: 2
• Party: Popular Cooperative Party of Kazakhstan
  • Leader: President Nursultan NAZARBEYEV
  • Seats won in this Lower House election: 1
  • Seats won in last Lower House election: 11
• Party: People's Congress of Kazakhstan (PCK)
  • Leader: Olzhas SULEYMENO
  • Seats won in this Lower House election: 0
  • Seats won in last Lower House election: 1

* The OTAN includes former Democratic Party, Liberal Union and Popular Unity Party.

Last Parliamentary election:

• Last elections to the Majilis were held December 9, 1995-February 4, 1996.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 14,928,426 (1999)
• Registered Voters: 8,419,283 (1999)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 7,763,375 (1999)

·         Is Kazakhstan a signatory to CEDAW: N/A

·         Has Kazakhstan ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (26 August 1998)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: No

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 8 (Assembly) (following the 1999 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 56 (2014) 

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Kazakhstan a signatory to CRPD: Yes (11 December 2008)

·         Has Kazakhstan ratified CRPD: Yes (21 April 2015)

·         Population with a disability: 2,239,263 (est.)