Kazakhstan's ruling Adilet party has swept parliamentary elections, with three exit polls broadcast on state television giving it between 70 and 72 percent of the vote — a result that cements President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's hold on power in the resource-rich Central Asian nation. The strong showing translates into a commanding majority of 145 seats in the country's reformed parliament, known as the Kurultai.

Adilet is a relatively new formation, established in June after absorbing the previously dominant ruling party Amanat, a consolidation carried out with Tokayev's backing. Five of the seven parties permitted to contest the elections are expected to win representation in parliament. Turnout was reported at over 74 percent nationwide, with some regions recording figures as high as 90 percent — numbers that critics have noted are typical in a country where electoral outcomes are generally considered predictable in advance.

The snap elections were called following the adoption of a new constitution, approved in a referendum held in March after what observers described as a one-sided campaign. Tokayev had previously pledged political liberalisation following deadly unrest in January 2022, when protests over fuel prices escalated into the worst violence the country had seen since independence, prompting a Russian-led military intervention. Sunday's results suggest those reforms have not fundamentally altered the concentration of power around the presidency.

Kazakhstan, the largest economy in Central Asia with a population of around 20 million, sits at a strategic crossroads between Asia and Europe. It is a major exporter of oil, uranium, and other minerals, maintaining close ties with both Russia and China while also serving as an important partner for the European Union, which values both its natural resources and its geopolitical position. That multi-directional balancing act has long defined Kazakhstani foreign policy, and Tokayev's consolidated domestic authority is likely to shape how Astana navigates those relationships in the years ahead.