Kazakhstan parliamentary elections begin: What’s at stake?

Kazakhstan heads to the polls this week in a snap parliamentary election that is expected to strengthen President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s rule over the country. The last parliamentary elections were in 2023.The election comes just weeks after Kazakhstan, a nation of 21 million that borders Russia and China, revamped its legislative system by introducing constitutional changes and shifting from a dual-chamber parliament to a single-chamber one as it seeks to assert itself as a major democratic power in Central Asia.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Kazakhstan’s train hospital brings healthcare to remote regionslist 2 of 3Germany arrests Kazakhstan citizen accused of spying for Russialist 3 of 3Kazakhstan releases first tiger to restore extinct speciesend of listHow does the election process work and what’s at stake?Here’s what we know:When is the election happening?Elections for the 145 seats of the Kurultai, the country’s new unicameral legislature, will take place on August 23.To enter government, parties must receive at least 5 percent of the overall vote.Before July 1, when Kazakhstan’s new constitutional system came into effect, the parliament was bicameral, with th...