Government and Politics of Kazakhstan

Government Type

republic

Administrative Divisions

14 provinces (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 3 cities* (qala, singular - qalasy); Almaty Oblysy, Almaty Qalasy*, Aqmola Oblysy (Astana), Aqtobe Oblysy, Astana Qalasy*, Atyrau Oblysy, Batys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oral), Bayqongyr Qalasy*, Mangghystau Oblysy (Aqtau), Ongtustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Shymkent), Pavlodar Oblysy, Qaraghandy Oblysy, Qostanay Oblysy, Qyzylorda Oblysy, Shyghys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oskemen), Soltustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Petropavlovsk), Zhambyl Oblysy (Taraz)

Legal System

based on civil law system

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Citizenship

citizenship by birth: no citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Kazakhstan dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years

Executive Branch

chief of state: President Kassym-Jomart TOKAYEV (since 20 March 2019); note: Nursultan NAZARBAYEV, who ruled Kazakhstan from independence in 1991 until his resignation on 19 March 2019, retains significant influence as the former head of state and longtime chairman of the ruling Nur Otan party; TOKAYEV won a snap presidential election held on 9 June 2019 and was reelected on 20 November 2022 with approximately 81.3% of the vote head of government: Prime Minister Olzhas BEKTENOV (since 6 February 2024); First Deputy Prime Minister Roman SKLYAR (since 2024) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term, with a two-term limit introduced under constitutional reforms adopted in 2022; election last held on 20 November 2022 (next to be held in 2029); prime minister appointed by the president with approval of the Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament) election results: Kassym-Jomart TOKAYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Kassym-Jomart TOKAYEV 81.3%, Zhiguli DAYRABAEV 3.4%, Nurlan AUHANOV 2.3%, other candidates received the remainder note: Following widespread protests in January 2022, President TOKAYEV initiated a series of constitutional and political reforms aimed at reducing the concentration of executive power. A constitutional referendum held in June 2022 introduced significant changes, including presidential term limits, the re-legalization of opposition parties, and adjustments to the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches. These reforms were widely seen as an effort to distance the government from the NAZARBAYEV era and shift Kazakhstan toward a more pluralistic political model, though critics note that meaningful independent oversight remains limited.

Legislative Branch

Bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (50 seats; 10 senators are appointed by the president; 40 members are indirectly elected by regional representative bodies — 2 from each of the 17 regions, the capital Astana, and the cities of Almaty and Shymkent — to serve six-year terms, with half of the elected members up for election every three years) and the Mazhilis (98 seats; 98 members elected to five-year terms, with 69 elected from single-member constituencies and 29 elected from party lists by proportional representation). Elections: Senate — last indirect elections held in January 2023; Mazhilis — last held on 19 March 2023, following the dissolution of parliament and early elections called by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as part of broader political reforms. Election results: Senate — seats held by regional representatives and presidential appointees; party affiliation largely reflects pro-government alignment. Mazhilis — percent of vote by party: Amanat (formerly Nur Otan) approximately 53.9%, Auyl 10.9%, Respublica 8.6%, Ak Zhol 8.4%, QHP (People's Party of Kazakhstan) 6.8%; seats by party: Amanat 62, Auyl 8, Respublica 6, Ak Zhol 6, QHP 5, independents and others 11; note — the 2023 elections were the first under reformed electoral rules intended to broaden political competition and reduce single-party dominance.

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7 members)

Political Parties

Agrarian and Industrial Union of Workers Bloc or AIST (comprised of the Agrarian Party and Civic Party) [leader NA]; Agrarian Party [Romin MADINOV, chairman]; Aq Zhol Party (Bright Path) [Alikhan BAIMENOV, chairman]; ASAR (All Together) [Dariga NAZARBAYEVA, chairwoman]; AUL (Village) [Gani KALIYEV, chairman]; Civic Party [Azat PERUASHEV, first secretary]; Communist Party of Kazakhstan or KPK [Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN, first secretary]; Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan [Vladislav KOSAREV, first secretary]; Democratic Party of Kazakhstan [Maksut NARIKBAEV, chairman]; Otan (Fatherland) [Bakhytzhan ZHUMAGULOV, executor]; Patriots' Party [Gani KASYMOV, chairman]; Rukhaniyat [Altynshash ZHAGANOVA, chairwoman]

Head of State

President Kassym-Jomart TOKAYEV

Head of Government

Prime Minister Olzhas BEKTENOV

Cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president

Elections

Senate — last indirect elections held in January 2023; Mazhilis — last held on 19 March 2023, following the dissolution of parliament and early elections called by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as part of broader political reforms.

Election Results

Senate — seats held by regional representatives and presidential appointees; party affiliation largely reflects pro-government alignment. Mazhilis — percent of vote by party: Amanat (formerly Nur Otan) approximately 53.9%, Auyl 10.9%, Respublica 8.6%, Ak Zhol 8.4%, QHP (People's Party of Kazakhstan) 6.8%; seats by party: Amanat 62, Auyl 8, Respublica 6, Ak Zhol 6, QHP 5, independents and others 11; note — the 2023 elections were the first under reformed electoral rules intended to broaden political competition and reduce single-party dominance.

Constitution

adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995; first post-independence constitution was adopted 28 January 1993

Independence

16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National Holiday

Republic Day, 25 October (1990)

International Organization Participation

AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic Representation in the U.S.

chief of mission: Ambassador Kanat B. SAUDABAYEV chancery: 1401 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 232-5488 FAX: [1] (202) 232-5845 consulate(s): New York

U.S. Diplomatic Representation

chief of mission: Ambassador John M. ORDWAY embassy: 97 Zholdasbekova, Samal-2, Almaty, 480099 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [7] (3272) 50-48-02 FAX: [7] (3272) 50-48-84

Capital City

Astana

Location

51 10 N, 71 25 E

Time Difference

UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) time zone note: Kazakhstan has two time zones

History

the name means "capital city" in Kazakh note: on 17 September 2022, Kazakhstan changed the name of its capital city from Nur-Sultan back to Astana; this was not the first time the city had its name changed; founded in 1830 as Akmoly, it became Akmolinsk in 1832, Tselinograd in 1961, Akmola (Aqmola) in 1992, Astana in 1998, and Nur-Sultan in 2019; the latest name change occurred just three and a half years after the city was renamed to honor a long-serving (28-year) former president, who subsequently fell out of favor

U.S. Embassy Astana Rakhymzhan Koshkarbayev Avenue, No. 3. Astana, Kazakhstan, 010010 Telephone: 7-7172-70-21-00 Facsimile: 7-7172-70-22-80 Emergency after-hours telephone: 8-7172-70-22-00 E-mail: USAKZ@state.gov U.S. Consulate General Almaty 97 Zholdasbekov Street Samal-2 Almaty, Kazakhstan 050059 Telephone: 7-727-250-76-12/17 Emergency after-hours telephone: 7-727-250-76-12/17 Facsimile: 7-727-250-48-84 E-mail: USAKZ@state.gov

Military Branches

Kazakhstan Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Mobile Forces, Air Defense Forces

Service Age and Obligation

18 is the legal minimum age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation is 2 years, but Kazakhstan may be transitioning to a contract force; 19 is the legal minimum age for voluntary service; military cadets in intermediate (ages 15-17) and higher (ages 17-21) education institutes are classified as military service personnel