Early parliamentary elections took place in Kazakhstan yesterday. They provoked many comments from experts. The intrigue about which party will be next after the presidential party Nur Otan was thrilling. Preliminary data indicates that three parties will enter the new Kazakh parliament: Nur Otan, Ak Zhol and the Communist People's Party.
A research scientist of the Institute of International Research under the Moscow State University of Foreign Affairs, Leonid Gusev, stated that such a result was predictable, as Kazakhstan’s society is changing, as well as Russian society.
The expert noted that the two oldest parties of the country with stable support of voters were elected. At the same time, the recently established party Adilet won’t enter the parliament. “It means its influence in society is weak, even though they were sure they would take second place in the elections,” the expert concluded.
Speaking about systemic transformations in Kazakhstan’s internal policy, the political scientist emphasized that Ak Zhol has always been the opposition party. As for the Communist People's Party, it has a long history. Leonid Gusev thinks that an opposition mood is growing in the country. A new edition of the law stated that the second party will enter the parliament anyway, but three parties managed to surpass the 7% barrier.
Leonid Gusev noted that Kazakh society had demonstrated its consolidation in the three party preferences. The elections defined the new parliamentary system for the next 5 years.
