Kurultai Elections: What Does a Voter Need to Know?

Next month, Kazakhstanis will elect deputies to the unicameral parliament, the Kurultai. This time, there will be no self-nominated candidates from single-mandate districts. Today, each political organization has begun presenting its list of candidates. However, not all of them will be able to enter the Kurultai, as deputy mandates are distributed based on election results. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.

How many parties participate in the elections?

The Central Election Commission has allowed seven parties to participate in the upcoming Kurultai elections. They are: 1. Ak Zhol; 2. Auyl; 3. Adilet; 4. Nationwide Social Democratic Party; 5. "Baitak" Green Party; 6. People's Party of Kazakhstan; 7. Respublica.

Several parties have already presented their candidates. For example, Ak Zhol's list includes 63 people, including former deputies and ex-party leader Azat Peruashev. The Auyl party proposed 69 people, while Respublica approved 76 candidates. The NSDP has 33, and the People's Party of Kazakhstan has presented 72 candidates.

How many people from each party will enter the Kurultai?

The unicameral parliament will have 145 deputy mandates. All these seats are distributed among parties based on election results. However, a party must first gather at least 5 percent of voters' votes to enter the Kurultai. For example, in the 2023 parliamentary elections, AMANAT received 40 deputy mandates in the Mazhilis with 53.90 percent of the vote. The second-place Auyl party (10.90 percent) secured 8 deputies. At that time, the Mazhilis had 98 seats. Therefore, this time, with 10 percent of the vote, a party could get 12-13 mandates in the Kurultai. The term of a deputy is 5 years. Notably, AMANAT will not participate in the upcoming elections, as it has merged with the newly formed Adilet party.

How to vote?

Any citizen of Kazakhstan who has reached 18 years of age, regardless of origin, social, official and property status, gender, race, nationality, language, attitude to religion, beliefs, place of residence or any other circumstances, has the right to vote in elections. Citizens recognized as incapacitated, as well as those serving sentences in places of imprisonment by a court verdict, cannot vote. Voting for voters begins at 7:00 a.m. After receiving a ballot, a person makes their choice in special booths. To do this, you need to put any mark in the empty square to the right of the party name. It is forbidden for another person to enter the booth while filling out the ballot. However, a voter who is unable to fill out the ballot independently has the right to use the help of a trusted person. It is not allowed to mark the ballot with a pencil or make any corrections to it.

Can you vote at home?

According to electoral legislation, some citizens can vote at home. These include: those who cannot leave due to health reasons; those caring for a sick family member; residents of settlements where no polling station has been established; residents of remote and hard-to-reach areas. The precinct election commission is obliged to visit the home and organize voting no later than 12:00 local time on voting day based on a written application from each person. When organizing voting outside the polling station, two members of the election commission carry portable ballot boxes. Observers and proxies have the right to accompany the election commission members.

What should those traveling on election day do?

If a citizen is in another region and knows that on voting day they cannot come to the city where they are registered as a voter, they have the right to contact the akimat of the city where they are staying. A written application must be submitted at least thirty days before the election. Based on this application, the akimat removes them from the voter list at their place of registration and includes them in the voter list of the polling station in that city.

Can you take photos and videos at the polling station?

At the polling station, only an observer or a media representative can take photos and videos. This is a requirement of the constitutional law. However, commission members do not object to commemorative photos, as seen in previous election campaigns.

How are votes counted?

Vote counting begins at 20:00 local time. Before opening the boxes, the election commission counts and destroys all unused ballots. When counting ballots, the commission chairman or a specific commission member shows the ballot to participants and announces the voter's will. Ballots are sorted separately for each party that submitted a party list and for invalid ballots. The vote counting results are reviewed by the precinct election commission and recorded in protocols, which are signed by the chairman and members of the election commission.