Elections in Kazakhstan

[3][need quotation to verify] None of the elections held in Kazakhstan have been considered free or fair by Western countries or international observers[4] with issues noted including ballot tampering,[5][6] multiple voting,[6] repression of opposition candidates[7] and press censorship.

[8] However, robust reforms have been implemented since 2019 and the OSCE ODI stated in its post-2021 parliamentary election report that "candidates were able to campaign freely.

[13] Candidates for elected office in Kazakhstan can receive state financial support to cover campaign costs.

In Senate races, the state budget pays for each candidate’s 15-minute TV address (115 thousand tenge, approx.

[20] After President Nazarbayev' resignation in March 2019,[21] snap presidential elections were held on June 9, 2019 with former Senate Chair Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emerging as the winner.

The Assembly (Mazhilis) has 98 members elected for a five-year term, in general elections, in the following way: 70% (69 deputies) from closed list party-list proportional representation allocated using the largest remainder method and 30% (29 deputies) from single-member districts that use the first-past-the-post voting (FPTP) method.

[25] As of March 2015, none of the elections held in Kazakhstan have been considered free or fair by Western countries or international observers.

The OSCE criticised the 2011 presidential election, citing a lack of press freedom, transparency and competition.

[27] Following the 2005 election, they noted a number of issues, including ballot tampering, multiple voting, intimidation and harassment of opposition candidates and their supporters, media bias and official restrictions on free expression.