Kazakhstan Allocates $73 Million for August Kurultai Elections

Kazakhstan has allocated 34.3 billion KZT, approximately $73 million, from the government’s reserve fund to finance elections for the country’s newly established Kurultai, the unicameral parliament created under the country’s new Constitution, according to Central Election Commission (CEC) member Mikhail Bortnik. Kazakhstan’s new Constitution entered into force on July 1, replacing the previous bicameral parliament with the Kurultai. Elections for the new legislature are scheduled for August 23. A total of 145 deputies will be elected from party lists. Under the new electoral rules, at least 30% of candidates nominated by each political party must come from three combined categories: women, young people, and persons with disabilities. Speaking on July 14, Bortnik said the election budget would be financed from the government’s reserve because the 2026 state budget had been approved before the constitutional reform and therefore did not include funding for the parliamentary elections. “The budget for the upcoming elections has been prepared based on the needs identified by territorial election commissions and in accordance with electoral legislation, including all expenditures necessary to ensure the legality, transparency, and proper organization of the electoral process,” Bortnik said. The largest share of the funding will cover the work of Kazakhstan’s election administration. More than 70,000 election officials will operate 10,674 polling stations nationwide. Around 8.5 billion KZT, or more than $18 million, roughly 25% of the total budget, has been allocated for organizational expenses, including travel, transport, technical support, ballot printing, equipment, and the establishment of 47 new polling stations. The funding will also cover the preparation of voter information materials, methodological guidance for election officials, public information campaigns, and the operational costs of the Central Election Commission. The CEC is expected to complete the registration of party candidate lists by 6:00 p.m. on July 23. So far, seven political parties have submitted their candidate lists. According to CEC Secretary Shavkat Utemisov, the Adilet Party submitted the largest list, with 186 candidates, while the Nationwide Social Democratic Party submitted the smallest, with 33 candidates. The remaining parties submitted lists ranging from 63 candidates for the Ak Zhol Democratic Party of Kazakhstan to 76 for the Respublica Party. The candidate lists are currently being reviewed by the relevant government agencies to verify that all nominees meet the legal requirements for election. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Court recently ruled that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev remains eligible to seek another presidential term under the country’s 2026 Constitution.