The Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) called the elections as "low-key" with lack of "genuine competition", as all the contesting parties supported Tokayev's policies or espoused pro-government positions.

[12] However, after the outbreak of COVID-19 in Kazakhstan in March 2020, which resulted in nationwide lockdowns and quarantine measures, the idea of an early election was put aside as Kazakh authorities were forced to contain the spread of the virus.

[13] Tokayev instructed the government to implement certain fiscal packages, such as increasing state pensions and welfare payouts by 10%, providing more tax breaks for small businesses and boosting spending on subsidies in order to limit the economic impacts of the virus.

The Kazakh Ministry of Healthcare dismissed those claims, stating that the unspecified pneumonia was likely COVID-19, based on symptoms, but was not confirmed by laboratory testing that followed World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.

[25] Mukhtar Ablyazov, exiled former Kazakh banker and politician currently residing in France, denied the allegations of the case filed as well by the bank, calling it a plot to discredit Utemuratov as "political heavyweight and rival in the fight for power" instigated by the National Security Committee Chairman and former PM Karim Massimov.

[27] On 3 December 2020, the Financial Times reported that Nazarbayev's son-in-law Timur Kulibayev had allegedly received tens of millions of dollars in a secret project related to the construction of a natural gas pipeline from Central Asia to China.

[35] Former president Nursultan Nazarbayev, in response to the territorial claims, fired back in a speech made on 15 December commemorating Independence Day, where he said that Kazakhs are "the descendants of brave ancestors who inhabited a vast valley from Altai to Atyrau, and from Alatau to Arka.

"[36] Kazakh Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi dismissed Nikonov and Fyodorov's statements on 23 December, calling them "bullshit" and noted that the controversy "does not correspond to the official position of the Russian Federation."

[45] At a briefing on 14 October 2020, Healthcare Minister Alexey Tsoi ruled out the possibility of the upcoming parliamentary elections being held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, saying that "the Ministry of Health is responsible for safety.

[citation needed] The parties that appeared on the ballot were as follows:[54] According to the Central Election Commission (OSK) guidelines, campaigning kicked off at 18:00 local time on 10 December 2020.

[53] The program focused on improving the quality of life for the country's citizens, social justice, and creating an accountable listening state with a key goal of fighting corruption.

[71] On 20 November 2020, the Aq Zhol held its 16th Extraordinary Congress in Nur-Sultan where party chairman Azat Peruashev spoke about how the COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan brought bureaucracy and corruption, social injustice and a gap between rich and poor, as well as monopolization of power and the economy.

The party in its manifesto announced its support for transitioning Kazakhstan from a presidential system to a parliamentary republic and proposed limiting the interest rate on loans and mortgages, consumer goods, SMEs and for people most at risk, as well as adopting a bankruptcy law which would guarantee borrowers preservation of shelter and social benefits.

[77] The QHP presented its list of 125 candidates for the Mäjilis on 23 November 2020 at the 16th Ordinary Congress where the party advocated public control over spending and allocation of resources, nationalization of the country's strategic industries, preservation of traditional values, implementation of a socially-oriented strategy, and a "fair state" for everyone.

[88] On 19 November 2020, the ADAL revealed its manifesto and its approved list of 20 competing Mäjilis deputy candidates, who were public figures, journalists, ecologists, representatives of the agricultural sector, and authors of social projects.

[94] The opposition movement Halyq Biligi (People's Rule) demanded the Kazakh authorities postpone the upcoming parliamentary elections at a news conference on 22 December 2020, citing the legislation that de facto prevents any alternative political force participating in the race.

[108] On 22 December 2020, disabled Kazakh activist Asanali Suyubaev was taken to a psychiatric clinic by medical personnel and police in Aktobe after allegedly tearing down a campaign poster of the ruling Nur Otan party.

This was confirmed by the clinic's deputy chief physician Esenaman Nysanov, saying that "he behaved in a strange way, namely, while outside, he was tearing election posters, which can be defined in a medical term as addictive behavior."

"[112] Aq Jol filed a complaint with the Ministry of Internal Affairs after it received reports of party staffers being detained and prosecuted, and campaign materials being confiscated by the police.

Aq Jol Chairman Azat Peruashev in a statement condemned the actions of Kazakh law enforcement and called for authorities to ensure legal protections for the detained staffers.

On 5 December 2020, the Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry warned Kazakhstani citizens about possible problems with access to foreign internet websites due to the "Cybersecurity Nur-Sultan-2020" training in preventing cyber attacks.

[120] Many domestic groups complained that their observer registrations were rejected due to allegedly not submitting required paperwork and demands for enormous numbers of documents, which were impossible to satisfy.

[121] By 5 January 2021, the OSK had accredited a total of 398 observers, of whom 322 were from these 10 international organisations:[122][123] 76 foreign observers were deployed from Jordan, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Moldova, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Indonesia, Uzbekistan, Russia, Romania, India, Philippines, Hungary, Spain, Norway, France, Switzerland, Poland, Czech Republic, Italy, Estonia, Ukraine, Germany, Belgium, Palestine, United Kingdom, Mongolia, Sweden, Canada, and Finland.

[122][123] On 8 December 2020, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) opened a Limited Election Observation Mission (LEOM) led by Ambassador Jarosław Domański [pl], which consisted of a team of 11 experts based in Nur-Sultan.

"[126][127] In a statement written 10 January 2021, the OSCE said that the voting was organized efficiently especially the COVID-19 precautions, which however made clear observation impossible and that "important procedural safeguards were often skipped during counting and tabulation" which raised doubts on the accuracy of the announced results.

[142] According to Gaziz Abishev, the elections gave Aq Jol enough to become the official main parliamentary opposition, which would be able to summon the Cabinet of Ministers twice a session for a government hour.

Janar Jandosova, head of the Sanj Research Center, voiced her concern on the results published by the Central Election Commission (OSK), claiming that according to an independent poll conducted on 11 January 2021 which interviewed 3,426 Kazakhstani citizens through phone calls, the Nur Otan had only received 56.4% of the vote in contrast with the official OSK's 71% result while the latter parties were 16% for Aq Jol, 12.5% for Auyl, 12.1% for Adal, and no more than 3% for the People's Party with a 44% turnout rate only compared to an official 63.3%.

[147] Another result by the Alaman bot showed Nur Otan winning slightly 39.81% majority of the vote followed by Aq Jol's 22.61% share, with other parties: Adal–14.81%, Auyl–10.57%, QHP–8.27% whom have managed to bypass the 7% electoral threshold to gain each mandate in the Mazhilis.

[149] Unsanctioned protests occurred in several Kazakh cities on election day, mostly notably in Almaty where demonstrators in the Astana Square were told to disperse by the representatives of the prosecutor's office.

[156] Among the nine nominees from the QHA to the Mazhilis were: Sauytbek Abdrahmanov, Avetik Amirkhanyan, Ilyas Bularov, Natalya Dementyeva, Yuri Li, Vakil Nabiev, Shamil Osin, Vladimir Tokhtasunov, and Abilfas Khamedov.