Kazakhstan Elects New Parliament as Nazarbayev Appears in Public for the First Time After Surgery

Kazakhstan is holding elections today for the members of the Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament) and Maslikhats (local representative bodies). Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has already cast his vote in the Mazhilis elections, according to the press service of the President's office.

Former President Nursultan Nazarbayev has made his first public appearance since heart surgery, participating in the voting for the early elections of the Mazhilis and local representative bodies.

The elections are taking place at more than 10,200 polling stations across Kazakhstan and abroad. In Kazakhstan, which has a population of over 19.7 million, the number of voters exceeds 12.3 million.

Unlike previous terms, the eighth convocation of Parliament will be elected through a mixed system: 70% of the deputies will be selected from party lists, while the remaining 30% will be elected from single-member constituencies. A total of 98 deputies must be elected for the Mazhilis, with 69 from party lists and 29 from single-member constituencies.

Previously, parliamentary elections were conducted using a proportional representation system based on party lists.