{"faq_id":"835849b7-929d-440d-9837-f96ce6fa0595","code":"kurultai-vs-mazhilis","kind":"faq","canonical_slug":"kurultai-vs-mazhilis","section":{"id":44,"code":"kurultai_elections","slug":"kurultai_elections","title":"Kurultai Elections"},"lang":"en","question":"How is the Kurultai different from the Mazhilis and the Senate?","short_answer":"The Kurultai is a unicameral parliament. The Senate and presidential appointments to parliament are abolished. There are 145 deputies instead of 147 and the threshold rises from 5% to 7%. Women, young people, and persons with disabilities must jointly make up at least 30% of a party list.","blocks":{"answer_html":"<h2>What the Previous Model Looked Like</h2>\n<p>The old parliamentary model had two chambers:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mazhilis</strong> – 98 deputies</li>\n<li><strong>Senate</strong> – 49 senators\nTotal – <strong>147 seats</strong>.</li>\n</ul>\n<p>In addition:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>9 Mazhilis deputies</strong> were elected from single-member constituencies.</li>\n<li><strong>13 senators</strong> were appointed by the President.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>What Changes Now</h2>\n<p>The Kurultai becomes a <strong>unicameral</strong> parliament:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>145 deputies</strong></li>\n<li>All elected through <strong>proportional representation</strong></li>\n<li>A <strong>single nationwide constituency</strong></li>\n<li>A <strong>7% threshold</strong></li>\n<li>Women, young people, and persons with disabilities jointly make up <strong>at least 30% of a party list</strong></li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Comparison at a Glance</h2>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Parameter</th>\n<th>Mazhilis + Senate</th>\n<th>Kurultai</th>\n</tr>\n</thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Structure</td>\n<td>Bicameral</td>\n<td>Unicameral</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Seats</td>\n<td>98 + 49 = 147</td>\n<td>145</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Single-member seats</td>\n<td>9</td>\n<td>–</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Presidential appointments</td>\n<td>13 (Senate)</td>\n<td>–</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Threshold</td>\n<td>5%</td>\n<td>7%</td>\n</tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Party-list quota</td>\n<td>Different rules under the former model</td>\n<td>At least 30% jointly for women, young people, and persons with disabilities</td>\n</tr>\n</tbody>\n</table>\n<h2>Practical Meaning</h2>\n<p>The new model removes duplication between the two chambers, makes the parliamentary architecture more direct, and raises the threshold for parties entering parliament.</p>\n","facts_html":"","what_not_change_html":"","where_detailed_html":"","misconceptions_html":""},"updated_at":"2026-07-16T00:00:00+00:00","article_refs":[{"number":52,"title":"Structure and Elections of the Kurultai"},{"number":53,"title":"Structure and Elections of the Kurultai"},{"number":54,"title":"Structure and Elections of the Kurultai"}],"entity_links":[{"type":"constitutional_article","number":52,"label":"Article 52","title":"Structure and Elections of the Kurultai","href":"/full-text?lang=en#article-52"},{"type":"constitutional_article","number":53,"label":"Article 53","title":"Structure and Elections of the Kurultai","href":"/full-text?lang=en#article-53"},{"type":"constitutional_article","number":54,"label":"Article 54","title":"Structure and Elections of the Kurultai","href":"/full-text?lang=en#article-54"}],"source_records":[{"id":"constitution-2026-official","type":"constitution","url":"https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2600000000","title":"Official publication of the 2026 Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan","publisher":"Adilet Legal Information System","checked_at":"2026-07-16","reviewed_at":"2026-07-16","checked_at_label":"16 July 2026"},{"id":"kurultai-law-2026","type":"constitutional_law","url":"https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/Z2600000297","title":"Constitutional Law on the Kurultai of the Republic of Kazakhstan","publisher":"Adilet Legal Information System","checked_at":"2026-07-16","reviewed_at":"2026-07-16","checked_at_label":"16 July 2026"},{"id":"kurultai-election-current-stage","type":"election_authority","url":"https://www.election.gov.kz/rus/news/releases/index.php?ID=10290","title":"Results of the nomination stage for Kurultai candidates","publisher":"Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan","checked_at":"2026-07-16","reviewed_at":"2026-07-16","checked_at_label":"16 July 2026"}],"verified_claims":[],"implementation_status":null,"source_schema_records":[{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Official publication of the 2026 Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan","url":"https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2600000000","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Adilet Legal Information System"},"dateModified":"2026-07-16"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Constitutional Law on the Kurultai of the Republic of Kazakhstan","url":"https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/Z2600000297","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Adilet Legal Information System"},"dateModified":"2026-07-16"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Results of the nomination stage for Kurultai candidates","url":"https://www.election.gov.kz/rus/news/releases/index.php?ID=10290","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan"},"dateModified":"2026-07-16"}],"source_citation_urls":["https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2600000000","https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/Z2600000297","https://www.election.gov.kz/rus/news/releases/index.php?ID=10290"]}