ASTANA, Kazakhstan,
August 23. High voter turnout has been observed
from the early morning at Kazakhstan’s elections to the Kurultai,
Azerbaijani MP Sabina Salmanova said at a briefing, Trend’s special correspondent
reports from Astana.


Salmanova, a member of the Azerbaijani Parliament’s Committee on
Defense, Security and Combating Corruption and Committee on Public
Associations and Religious Institutions, said the Azerbaijani
delegation had met with representatives of all political parties
participating in the elections.


“We met with all the parties participating in the elections. Our
meetings were held at a high level, and we have been very impressed
by them. This morning alone, we managed to visit five polling
stations — Nos. 130, 175, 485 and 193. I was pleasantly surprised
not only by the organization of the work, but also by the turnout
so early in the morning. There were both elderly people and young
people among those voting. Observers were also present, and we
spoke with them. They represented both political parties and public
organizations,” Salmanova said.


The elections to the Kurultai, Kazakhstan’s new unicameral
parliament established under the new Constitution that entered into
force on July 1, 2026, began today.


The Kurultai will comprise 145 deputies elected for a five-year
term. The elections are being held under a proportional
representation system, with deputies elected from party lists in a
single nationwide constituency.


According to the Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan,
12,605,788 voters are registered. A total of 10,423 polling
stations have been prepared, including 79 polling stations in 61
countries abroad.







Seven political parties are participating in the elections:
Adilet, the Nationwide Social Democratic Party, the Baitak Green
Party of Kazakhstan, the People’s Party of Kazakhstan, Auyl, the Ak
Zhol Democratic Party of Kazakhstan and Respublica.


International experts are observing the voting process. A total
of 777 international observers from 42 countries have been
registered, while representatives of 13 international organizations
are also taking part in observation missions.


The Kurultai will replace Kazakhstan’s previous bicameral
Parliament, which consisted of the Mazhilis and the Senate.


As of 12:00, voter turnout in the Kurultai elections stood at
37.05%.