At Stake in this Election: 

• All 98 seats of the Mazhilis of Kazakhstan *  

* Local assembly (maslikat / mәслихат) elections will take place concurrently at the oblast, district, and city levels.  In all, 3,415 seats will be contested across 223 assemblies. 

Government Structure:  

• Chief of State: President Kasym-Zhomart TOKAYEV (since 20 March 2019) 

• Head of Government: Prime Minister Alikhan SMAILOV (since 11 January 2022) 

• Assembly: a bicameral parliament consisting of a 50-seat Senate (Сенаты) and a 98-seat lower chamber known as the Mazhilis (Мәжіліс) 

Electoral System:  

• The President is directly elected by plurality vote and may serve only one 7-year term. 

• The Prime Minister is appointed by the president and confirmed by the Mazhilis. 

• In the Senate, 40 members are indirectly elected by regional (oblystar / облыстар) assemblies via two-round majority vote.  An additional 10 members are appointed by the president, including 5 who are nominated by the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan (Қазақстан халқы ассамблеясы)—an advisory body consisting of ethnic minorities.  All members serve 6-year terms, and half of the seats are contested every 3 years. 

• In the Mazhilis, 98 members are directly elected by proportional representation vote. 69 members are elected from closed lists in a single, nationwide constituency, and 29 members are elected in single-seat constituencies.  All members serve 5-year terms. 

Last Election: 

In the 2021 legislative election, the Nur Otan party won a majority in the Mazhilis with 76 seats.  The Ak Zhol Democratic Party won 12 seats, and the Communist People’s Party of Kazakhstan won 10 seats.  Voter turnout was 61%. 

New/Unique in this Election:  

Electoral procedures were recently changed via the 2022 national referendum.  Previously, the 98 directly elected members of the Mazhilis were all elected from a single, nationwide constituency via proportional representation vote.  Additionally, the president can no longer serve as the head of a political party, and voters can now select an “against all” option rather than a party list or candidate. 

Key Deadlines: 

• Candidate filing deadline: 8 February 2023 

• Voter registration deadline: 17 February 2023 * 

* Local officials assemble voter lists which include all citizens over the age of 18 who are registered as local residents.  Prospective voters have until 17 February to request to vote in a location other than their registered place of residence. 

Main Candidates in this Election:  

• Ak Zhol Democratic Party / Ақ жол Демократиялық партиясы 

• Leader: Azat PERUASHEV 

• Seats won in last election: 12/98 

• AMANAT Party / AMANAT партиясы 

• Leader: Erlan QOŞANOV 

• Seats won in last election: 76/98 (formerly known as Nur Otan Party) 

• Auyl People’s Democratic Patriotic Party / Ауыл Халықтық-демократиялық патриоттық партиясы (AUYL) 

• Leader: Ali BEKTAEV 

• Seats won in last election: 0/98 

• Baytaq Kazakhstan Green Party / Қазақстанның «Байтақ» жасылдар партиясы 

• Leader: Azamatkhan AMIRTAI 

• Seats won in last election: 0/98 (founded in 2022, after last election) 

• National Social Democratic Party / Жалпыұлттық социал-демократиялық партия 

• Leader: Ashat RAQYMJANOV 

• Seats won in last election: 0/98 

• People’s Party of Kazakhstan / Қазақстан Халық партиясы  

• Leader: Ermukhamet ERTISBAEV 

• Seats won in last election: 10/98 (formerly known as the Communist People’s Party of Kazakhstan) 

• Respublica Party / «Respublica» партиясы  

• Leader: Aidarbek KHODJANAZAROV 

• Seats won in last election: 0/98 (founded in 2023, after last election) 

Population and Registered Voters: 

• Population: 19,398, 331 (2022 est.) 

• Registered Voters: 11,919,241 (2021 est.) 

Gender Data: 

• Female Population: 10,209,648 (2022 est.) 

• CEDAW Status: Ratified by accession 26 Aug 1998 

• Gender Quota:  Yes, 30% of Mazhilis candidates on each party list must be women and/or under the age of 29 and/or people with disabilities 

• Female Candidates in this election: Yes 

• Number of Female Legislators (pre-election): 29/106 (27.4%) in the Mazhilis and 9/48 (18.8%) in the Senate 

• Human Development Index (HDI) Position: 0.811, Very High, Rank 56 (2021 est.)  

• Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: 22%, Low (2019 est.)  

Disability Data: 

• CRPD Status: Signed 11 Dec 2008, Ratified 21 Apr 2015 

• Projected population with a disability: 717,738 (2022 est.) 

IFES Resources: 

• Does IFES have a presence in Kazakhstan: No 

• Election Access: Yes 

• Election Judgements: Yes, 10 resources