Brief Information on the Electoral System of the Republic of Kazakhstan

According to the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the people of Kazakhstan are the sole source of state power and the bearers of sovereignty.

The people exercise power directly through national referendums and free elections, as well as delegate the exercise of their power to state bodies.

Democratic elections are competitive, periodic and representative elections through which citizens, enjoying broad freedoms, elect their representatives to government bodies from among alternative candidates. Competitive elections ensure the participation of various political parties and candidates.

The legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan ensures the periodic holding of elections, the representation of various social groups in government bodies, and the openness and transparency of electoral bodies.

Article 35 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan guarantees citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan who have reached the age of 18 the right to vote and to be elected to state bodies and local self-government bodies, as well as to participate in national referendums, regardless of origin, social, official or property status, sex, race, ethnicity, language, attitude towards religion, beliefs, place of residence or any other circumstances.

Citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan who have been declared legally incapable by a court, as well as citizens serving prison sentences pursuant to a court judgment, do not have the right to vote or participate in national referendums.

Citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan who have been declared legally incapable by a court, who have a criminal conviction that has not been expunged or removed in accordance with the procedure established by law, or who have been found guilty by a court of committing a corruption-related crime or offence in accordance with the procedure established by law, are not eligible to stand for election. In addition, the Constitution and relevant laws establish further requirements for candidates.

As an active member of numerous respected international organizations, Kazakhstan adheres to all its international commitments concerning the conduct of free and competitive elections. Elections of the Head of State, deputies of the Kurultai and maslikhats of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as akims of towns of district significance, villages, settlements and rural districts, are conducted in an atmosphere of openness and transparency, in accordance with national legislation and the universally recognized principles of democratic elections enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966), and the Document of the Copenhagen Meeting of the CSCE (1990).

The right to vote and to stand for election is also regulated by the Constitutional Law "On Elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan".

Under the provisions of the Constitution and the Constitutional Law, elections of the President, deputies of the Kurultai and maslikhats, as well as akims, are held on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot.

A citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan by birth may be elected President of the Republic of Kazakhstan if they are at least 40 years of age, are fluent in the state language, have resided in Kazakhstan for the preceding 15 years, hold a higher education qualification, and have at least five years of experience in public service or elected public office.

The Kurultai of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the country's highest representative body, exercising legislative power on a permanent basis. The Kurultai consists of 145 deputies elected in accordance with the procedure established by constitutional law, under a system of proportional representation in a single nationwide electoral constituency.

A person may be elected as a deputy of the Kurultai if they are at least 25 years of age, hold citizenship of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and have permanently resided in its territory for the preceding ten years.

The term of office of deputies of the Kurultai is five years.

Maslikhats are elected by the population for a five-year term on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot.

Deputies of the maslikhats of regions, cities of republican significance and the capital are elected under a mixed electoral system: half of the deputies are elected through proportional representation within a single territorial electoral constituency, while the other half are elected in single-member territorial constituencies.

Deputies of the maslikhats of districts and cities of regional significance are elected in single-member territorial constituencies.

A citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan who has reached the age of 20 may be elected as a deputy of a maslikhat.

Akims of towns of district significance, villages, settlements and rural districts of the Republic of Kazakhstan are elected for a four-year term by the population of the respective administrative-territorial unit on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot. Candidates must be citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan, at least 25 years of age, and meet the requirements established by the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Local Public Administration and Self-Government in the Republic of Kazakhstan" and the legislation governing public service.