Parliamentary elections were held on 20 March 2016. The results slightly change from those of 2012 as the ruling Nur-Otan Party of current President Nursultan Nazarbayev had once again won, this time with 82,15% of the vote, a bit more than the 81% win of 2012. The two other parties that had got into the Parliament were Ak Zhol and the Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan that had won 7,18% and 7,14% of the vote respectively, compared to their results in 2012 of 7,47% and 7,19%. The election was criticized by international observers such as the OSCE and the ODIHIR, for not providing a real political choice.

The elections in the country that is considered as a consolidated authoritarian regime, were initially planned for 2017, but had been held earlier due to the economic woes of the country. Kazakhstan is dependent on oil, of which the price has severely dropped the past few years. For most people the elections were more of a show, rather than a real democratic moment. Pluralism was lacking, when it comes to the opinions available in the media. Furthermore, most people prefer security and stability, which is also how elections are perceived - maintaining the status quo. The current political establishment has been in power for 25 years now.

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For economic facts and figures on Kazakhstan, click here.
For information on the state of democracy in Kazakhstan, click here.

For the official report by the OSCE on the Parliamentary elections of 20 March, click here.