Women want real power in Kurultai, Kazakhstan’s new parliament
Ahead of elections to the Kurultai, Kazakhstan’s new parliament, the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KISI) under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan gathered experts in Almaty to discuss the country’s future. At the «Kurultai — the Foundation of a New Legislative Architecture» expert platform, panelists discussed the sweeping changes ahead for the country’s political system.
A speech by Assem Bolatzhan, head of the Women in Tech Kazakhstan community, particularly resonated with the audience. She called for moving beyond a formal «quota report» and instead assessing the real political influence women hold within the new governing body.
Quotas are just the first step
As the speaker noted, forming the Kurultai is a key stage of the 2026 constitutional reform. However, a qualitative renewal of power is impossible without a shift in how gender representation is approached. Simply meeting party quotas on paper should no longer be the ultimate goal.
«After the Kurultai is formed, we’ll need to look not only at the overall proportion of women, but also at their presence among legislative body leaders, committee chairs and deputy chairs, faction leaders, and working group leaders,» Bolatzhan said.
According to the expert, society must assess how deeply involved women are in key government decisions and whether they hold real leverage over Kazakhstan’s legislative agenda.
Competition of programs instead of «decorative» lists
Bolatzhan noted that the current election campaign is being conducted under entirely new rules, under which political parties are compelled to compete on the quality of their candidates and platforms.
Under these conditions, it’s critical for parties not only to meet gender requirements when registering their lists, but also to entrust women with key positions that will shape the country’s future.
The expert emphasized that systematic training of women leaders must begin long before elections take place.
«Political parties must create equal opportunities for women today — for professional growth, leadership of regional party organizations, participation in maslikhats, public councils and expert bodies, and for involvement in developing party programs. Only this kind of systematic approach will prepare women to compete for leadership positions in the Kurultai,» KISI’s press service reported, citing Bolatzhan.
Kurultai
As part of the Kurultai elections scheduled for August 23, 2026, the candidate nomination process has concluded in Kazakhstan. One of the key features of forming party lists was a strict requirement for inclusiveness.
On each party list, representatives from three social categories — women, persons with disabilities, and young people — must make up at least 30% of the total number of participants.
