Kazakhstan's Central Election Commission has released the preliminary results of the August 23 parliamentary elections for the unicameral legislature, the Qurultay.
According to Commission Secretary Shavkhat Utemisov, 9,351,539 citizens participated in the vote, accounting for 74.08 percent of eligible voters.
The "Adilet" party, according to preliminary data, received 6,528,948 votes, or 71.17 percent. The National Social Democratic Party was backed by 469,058 voters (5.11 percent), while the "Baitaq" Green Party received 97,751 votes (1.07 percent).
The "Aul" party was supported by 574,621 citizens (6.26 percent), the "Ak Zhol" Democratic Party received 478,083 votes (5.21 percent), and Respublica garnered 509,631 votes (5.56 percent). The People's Party of Kazakhstan received 285,395 votes (3.11 percent). Some 2.51 percent of voters voted against all candidates.
These are the first parliamentary elections to be held after the new constitution came into force on July 1, which provides for a transition from a bicameral to a unicameral system. A total of 145 deputies will be elected.
The ruling Adilet party's absolute majority of 71 percent of the vote appears to confirm that voters prefer continuity and stability in the immediate aftermath of the constitutional changes.
On the other hand, the over 2.5 percent voting against all candidates is a relatively high figure for parliamentary elections and may indicate growing disillusionment among a segment of the electorate.
Interestingly, the results of the other six parties are quite close, ranging from 1 to 6.3 percent, so their further fate in terms of winning mandates will depend on crossing the electoral threshold, which, however, is not officially mentioned in the preliminary report.
