Gender Quotas Database
Kazakhstan
Central Asia
Single / Lower House
Mazhilis / House of Representatives
| Total seats | 98 |
| Total women | 19 |
| Percentage of women | 19% |
| Election year | 2023 |
| Electoral system | Parallel |
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law |
Registration of candidates for Mazhilis members (4) … In the party list, the number of representatives of three categories: women, youth, persons with disabilities in total shall be at least thirty percent of the total number of persons included in it. (Election Law. Article 89.4) Distribution of Parliament seats based on the voting results on party lists (5) … When distributing Parliamentary seats, the number of representatives of three categories: women, youth, persons with disabilities in aggregate shall be at least thirty percent of the total number of Parliamentary seats received by the party. (Election Law. Article 97.1) Peculiarities of the nomination of candidates from a political party for deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, maslikhat 1. When approving party lists of candidates for deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, a political party shall include representatives of three categories in them: women, youth, and persons with disabilities - collectively in the amount of at least thirty percent of the total number of candidates. (Political Parties Law. Article 15.1) |
| Legal sanctions for non-compliance | Electoral law |
According to Article 89 of the Law on elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan, "The Central Election Commission shall refuse to register or cancel decisions to register the party list in case of breach of rules of nomination of a party list by a political party, failure to submit documents required for registration."
|
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
| Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
Upper House
Senate
| Total seats | 50 |
| Total women | 12 |
| Percentage of women | 24% |
| Election year | 2023 |
| Electoral system | |
| Quota type | No legislated |
| Election details | IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| No data available | ||
Quota at the Sub-National Level
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law |
Registration of candidates for maslikhat members 4. Only one list from one political party shall be allowed for registration in a territorial constituency, in which the number of women and youth in aggregate shall be at least thirty percent of the total number of persons included in it. (Elections Law. Article 104) Peculiarities of the nomination of candidates from a political party for deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, maslikhat 2. When approving party lists of candidates for maslikhat deputies, a political party shall include women and young people in aggregate in the amount of at least thirty percent of the total number of candidates. (Political Parties Law. Article 15.1) |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|
| No data available. | ||
* Only political parties represented in parliament are included. When a country has legislated quotas in place, only political parties that have voluntary quotas that exceed the percentage/number of the national quota legislation are presented in this table.
Additional information
In Autumn 2019 an Alliance of Female Power of Kazakhstan was established to address concerns of women and children's rights as well as equal opportunities within politics and economic fields. The Alliance went on to propose the 30% quota and alternation lists, whilst advocating the 50-50 quotas at the regional level (Zakon.kz, 2019).
In autumn 1998, the Coalition "Women's Electoral Initiatives" was established, which includes 20 women's organizations. In August 1999, the Coalition sent a memorandum to all registered parties calling for them to include at least 5 percent of women candidates in their party lists for the parliamentary elections. In June 1999, a public foundation "Women's Electoral Block" was set up to support women candidates. In the course of this active involvement of women in the 1999 electoral process, the first women's party was born - the Political Alliance of Women's Organizations.
Sources
Legal Sources:
Other Sources:
- Parliament of Kazakhstan - Link
- Electoral Commission - Link
- Interparliamentary Union [IPU] Parline - Kazakhstan Country Profile
- Kazakhstan intends to introduce 30% quota for women and youth in political parties (2020) - Link
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Kazakhstan on iKNOW Politics
- Maltseva, E. (2021). Women’s political empowerment in Post-Soviet Kazakhstan. In: Karabchuk T., Kumo K., Gatskova K., Skoglund E. (eds) Gendering Post-Soviet Space. Springer, Singapore.doi:10.1007/978-981-15-9358-1_15
- UN Women. (n.d.). Republic of Kazakhstan. [Last Accessed: 2022-03-15]
- European Institute for Asian Studies [EIAS]. (2020). Women empowerment and gender equality in Kazakhstan.
- OECD. (2017). Kazakhstan: Gender policy delivery review. [preliminary version] For the full gender policy delivery version click here.
- National Democratic Institute [NDI]. (October 3, 2011). Women in Kazakhstan seek equality at executive levels. [Last Accessed: 2022-03-15]
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