Kazakhstan’s New Kurultai Replaces Parliament, But Politics Remain Unchanged

Named for a traditional political and military council convened by Mongol and Turkic peoples, Kazakhstan’s new Kurultai replaces its previous bicameral parliament. The shape of the Kazakh legislature may have changed, but the politics of Kazakhstan have not necessarily been transformed. There are seven political parties contesting the elections following the June 12 merger of Amanat – the ruling party, formerly known as Nur-Otan – with the upstart Adilet.

While opposition political parties have struggled in vain for years to obtain registration, the newly formed Adilet raced from nonexistence to registration in record time. Importantly, Aibek Dadebay, very recently the head of the presidential administration, is the party’s head. In the previous 98-seat lower house, the Majilis, Amanat secured 62 seats in the 2023 election.

No other party came close: Auyl held eight seats, Respublica and Aq Jol held six each, the People's Party of Kazakhstan (QHP) held five, and the Nationwide Social Democratic Party (JSDP) held four seats. Adilet is expected to dominate in the upcoming polls. Is this just old wine in a new bottle?