Kazakhstan goes to polls in hopes of change

A voter places ballots in a box at a polling station installed at the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Astana, Sunday. Kazakhstan held elections for members of the lower chamber of the parliament and the local representative bodies for the first time after the country's constitution was revised last year to strengthen principles of democracy. Korea Times photo by Kwon Mee-yoo

By Kwon Mee-yoo

ASTANA, Kazakhstan ― "We, as people of Kazakhstan, believe that the changes will take place and this is why we vote. I believe that my vote is an important decision that could be made," a voter said as she cast a ballot at a polling station installed at the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Astana, Kazakhstan, Sunday.

She went to vote as the Central Asian nation held elections for members of the "Mazhilis," or lower parliamentary chamber, and the "Maslikhats," (local representative bodies), for the first time after the country's constitution was revised last year to strengthen its democratic principles.

The 33-year-old teacher said she read up on the election and the candidates before exercising her right to vote.

"There are many unresolved issues in Kazakhstan. For example, there is a candidate who is focusing his campaign on preserving tradition. We have another candidate who wants to raise the status of doctors. There's another candidate who is focusing on youth issues. It is not possible to choose one direction, but we consider all sides of the issue. This is why I came to vote to make some changes," she said.

The early parliamentary and regional elections followed constitutional reforms proposed by Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, which were approved through a national referendum last year. Following an early presidential election held last November, which saw Tokayev being re-elected as a single-term president, the Mazhilis was dissolved in January to prepare for the early election as a result of the constitutional reforms.

A significant change in the new Kazakhstani electoral system is the implementation of a mixed proportional-majoritarian model. This system allows for the election of 70 percent of deputies proportionally from party lists and 30 percent through majoritarian rule in single-mandate districts. Additionally, candidates can self-nominate themselves for the single-member constituencies.

After the constitutional amendment, the electoral options for voters have expanded considerably from the previous system, in which they could only vote by party lists. Many of the self-nominated candidates are well-known activists or social workers with established reputations.

The competition is high in single-mandated districts. For example, districts one and two in Astana had 41 and 42 candidates, respectively. Voters expressed excitement about the expanded choices. Another voter at the polling station, a 24-year-old male opera singer, said some of the self-nominated candidates have been known for a while.

"They are the people who actually do the civil work for the benefit of the people. And this is the type of people we should vote for," he said.

Kazakhstan State Counsellor Erlan Karin, left, and Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko pose after a briefing for international media at the Astana Media Center, March 16. Korea Times photo by Kwon Mee-yoo

Finishing touch to reform

State Counsellor Erlan Karin said the reforms aim to build a balanced and sustainable political model in the country, and that these elections are the "finishing step of the complex transformation to reload the political system" over the past year.

"President Tokayev proposed to conduct a systematic reform in order to strike an optimal balance between the institutions of power to increase the transparency in the political process, as well as interaction with voters," Karin said during a briefing with international media at the Astana Media Center, March 16.

Karin explained the five main areas of focus for constitutional reform, which include the shift from a super-presidential to a presidential republic, the redistribution of powers, the change of parliament's role and status, the enhancement of public involvement in the governance of the country and the reinforcement of human rights protection.

"Changes are not limited to the laws on elections and party lists, but they also address the interaction between state authorities in line with the constitutional changes," he said. "The role of the parliament is being strengthened."

The state counselor also noted that citizens have more opportunities to participate in this election under new norms such as a quota of 30 percent for women, the youth and people with disabilities.

"At the previous elections and the composition of the Parliament, it turned out that the proportion of women was only around 3 percent. The proportion of young people was even smaller than that," Karin said. "Majorities of the parties were advocating for gender equality, but the share of women and youth was not enough. They had little access to seats in parliament. Therefore, there is a need to introduce mechanisms to encourage parties to actively engage with women and youth, such as quotas."

In 2020, Kazakhstan introduced a quota for women and youth in party nominations, but it only required 30 percent representation on party lists. However, from the current election, parties must also meet the quota in the distribution of seats.

The minimum number of members required for political party registration was lowered from 20,000 to 5,000, resulting in the registration of two new political parties, making a total of seven parties competing for parliamentary seats. President Tokayev also proposed a new law that would give parties with the least votes a chance to hold certain positions in the parliament, ensuring equal opportunity for all parties.

"I'm confident that these elections would provide a transformation of the political model of the country into a brand-new model," Karin said.

Kazakh voters examine an information board displaying candidates at a polling station in Astana during the 2023 early parliamentary election, Sunday. TASS-Yonhap

Meaningful progress

After the polling stations closed at 8 p.m., the Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan announced that 54.19 percent of about 12 million voters turned out. The exit polls conducted by three public institutions revealed that the ruling Amanat Party is leading in the parliamentary election with approximately 53 percent of the total vote.

In contrast to the previous election in 2021, where only three parties were represented in the Majilis with the ruling Nur Otan Party, now Amanat, won over 71 percent of seats, the current election reflects the diverse interests of Kazakh people with seven parties and self-nominated lawmakers.

Azamat Junisbai, a Kazakh American sociology professor at Pitzer College in California, noted that there are still "no genuine opposition parties on the ballot" of Kazakhstan as the two new parties cannot be considered as the opposition to the ruling party Amanat.

"On the other hand, the introduction of single-mandate constituencies is a significant new development in Kazakhstan's political history. Although only 30 percent of the seats in the lower house of parliament will be allocated using this method, it is a meaningful step toward political liberalization since it allows independent candidates to stand for elections," Junisbai wrote on his Twitter account, Sunday.

While many voters are still unfamiliar with the new system, Junisbai believes that the existence of independent voices in the Mazhilis will signify a move forward and a positive development.

"Time will show whether independent candidates, assuming they make it into the Mazhilis, will have a tangible impact," he said. "However, having independent voices in the Mazhilis, even if their numbers are small, would represent meaningful progress and movement in the right direction."