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(Oliver Fisk) (Oliver Fisk) By (https://thediplomat.com/authors/oliver-fisk/) Oliver Fisk August 28, 2026 (Share on LinkedIn) (https://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthediplomat.com%2F2026%2F08%2Ftokayev-sets-agenda-for-kazakhstan-as-new-parliament-gets-to-work%2F&title=Tokayev+Sets+Agenda+for+Kazakhstan+as+New+Parliament+Gets+to+Work) (Share on Facebook) (https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fthediplomat.com%2F2026%2F08%2Ftokayev-sets-agenda-for-kazakhstan-as-new-parliament-gets-to-work%2F) (Share on Bluesky) (https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Tokayev+Sets+Agenda+for+Kazakhstan+as+New+Parliament+Gets+to+Work%0Ahttps%3A%2F%2Fthediplomat.com%2F2026%2F08%2Ftokayev-sets-agenda-for-kazakhstan-as-new-parliament-gets-to-work%2F) (Share on X) (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Tokayev+Sets+Agenda+for+Kazakhstan+as+New+Parliament+Gets+to+Work&url=https%3A%2F%2Fthediplomat.com%2F2026%2F08%2Ftokayev-sets-agenda-for-kazakhstan-as-new-parliament-gets-to-work%2F) (Tokayev Sets Agenda for Kazakhstan as New Parliament Gets to Work) (Tokayev Sets Agenda for Kazakhstan as New Parliament Gets to Work) Credit: (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1523931916450011&set=pb.100064996504287.-2207520000&type=3) Aqorda / Facebook (https://thediplomat.com/subscriptions/) Subscribe for ads-free reading Kazakhstan’s new unicameral parliament, the Kurultai, gathered for its first session today. On August 23 the (https://thediplomat.com/2026/06/with-amanat-merger-adilet-is-on-track-to-be-kazakhstans-next-ruling-party/) all-but-ordained Adilet party triumphed over an array of officially sanctioned opposition parties, (https://thediplomat.com/2026/08/no-surprises-in-kazakh-politics-new-presidential-party-wins-majority/) winning a thumping 71 percent of the vote in the first election after Kazakhstan’s March constitutional revamp. According to the Central Electoral Commission, which registered new legislators in an official ceremony on August 27, Adilet will have 110 deputies of a possible 145 sitting in the new body, likely led by presidential advisor-turned-party leader Aibek Dadebay. As for its legislative agenda, all signs indicate that the Kurultai will largely pick up where the old parliament left off. Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spent the last week plotting a roadmap for the incoming Kurultai, and his to-do list is grounded in long-standing governmental priorities. On August 27, for example, citing the example of “several well-developed countries,” Tokayev said he planned to ask Kurultai deputies to consider banning social media for children under the age of 16, in what will essentially be a continuation of a bill submitted to parliament in June, (https://vlast.kz/novosti/70619-tokaev-na-pervoj-sessii-kurultaa-predlozit-deputatam-rassmotret-zapret-socsetej-detam-mladse-16-let.html) according to local independent media outlet Vlast.kz. In a similar vein, speaking at an educators’ conference on August 26, Tokayev (https://vlast.kz/novosti/70617-vopros-otkrytia-kazahstansko-kitajskoj-skoly-iskusstvennogo-intellekta-polucil-prorabotat-tokaev.html) called on the government to take more urgent measures to implement his May presidential decree on the introduction of artificial intelligence into the national education system. The directive came as part of the country’s (https://thediplomat.com/2026/06/6-months-into-kazakhstans-year-of-ai/) Year of Artificial Intelligence program, itself a continuation of the (https://thediplomat.com/2026/06/6-months-into-kazakhstans-year-of-ai/) broader strategy on AI launched in 2025 following the creation of the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development. Amid these more conventional proposals, Tokayev’s most interesting comments arguably came during  an appearance at a polling station on August 23 — and not only because he rebuked his compatriots for hugging and kissing in contravention of the country’s “time-honored traditions,” and called on Kazakhstani men to instead shake hands “firmly,” not like a “warm cutlet or a twig.” Speaking after casting his ballot, Tokayev also suggested that Kazakhstan needed to be “turned into a major building site,” and proposed (https://www.akorda.kz/ru/glava-gosudarstva-progolosoval-na-vyborah-deputatov-kurultaya-respubliki-kazahstan-2372143#:~:text=The%20Constitutional%20Court%20made,a%20more%20specific%20answer.) transferring significant amounts of money from the National Fund to spur this drive for development, a policy hastily (https://www.time.kz/articles/zloba/2026/08/25/ne-sobaka-na-sene) confirmed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin at a briefing on August 25. According to Zhumangarin, Kazakhstan’s government is set to withdraw nearly 12 trillion tenge ($26.2 billion) from the National Fund, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, despite (https://kaztag.kz/en/news/kazakhstan-to-halve-annual-transfers-from-national-fund-to-2-8-trillion-tenge) pledging last summer to scale down transfers through 2028 to reduce the national budget’s dependence on oil revenues. (Kazakhstan’s National Fund is largely financed by revenues generated from the country’s oil and other extractive industries, with a portion of these revenues saved and invested for future generations.) This too, however, equates to picking up where previous governments left off. As Kazakhstani political scientist Daniyar Ashimbayev (https://t.me/dashimbayev/11174) wrote , “the National Fund has for years been actively misappropriated for unclear purposes,” with the state dipping into the reserve to inject money into the economy, “without concerning itself with the wisdom of such spending.” What this all means is that the change in form promised by Kazakhstan’s new parliament does not appear to be matched by a change in its function. The Kurultai may have a number of (https://t.me/s/gaziz1984/5369) new politicians taking their seats today, but the policies, practices, and priorities shaping the country’s politics remain largely unchanged. Already have an account? Log in . You have reached the limit of 2 free articles this month. Get to the bottom of the story (https://thediplomat.com/subscriptions) Subscribe today and join thousands of diplomats, analysts, policy professionals and business readers who rely on The Diplomat for expert Asia-Pacific coverage. Get unlimited access to in-depth analysis you won't find anywhere else, from South China Sea tensions to ASEAN diplomacy to India-Pakistan relations. More than 5,000 articles a year. Unlimited articles and expert analysis Weekly newsletter with exclusive insights 16-year archive of diplomatic coverage Ad-free reading on all devices Support independent journalism (https://thediplomat.com/subscriptions) Subscribe Now (https://thediplomat.com/subscriptions) View Subscription Options Already have an account? Log in . Kazakhstan’s new unicameral parliament, the Kurultai, gathered for its first session today. On August 23 the (https://thediplomat.com/2026/06/with-amanat-merger-adilet-is-on-track-to-be-kazakhstans-next-ruling-party/) all-but-ordained Adilet party triumphed over an array of officially sanctioned opposition parties, (https://thediplomat.com/2026/08/no-surprises-in-kazakh-politics-new-presidential-party-wins-majority/) winning a thumping 71 percent of the vote in the first election after Kazakhstan’s March constitutional revamp. According to the Central Electoral Commission, which registered new legislators in an official ceremony on August 27, Adilet will have 110 deputies of a possible 145 sitting in the new body, likely led by presidential advisor-turned-party leader Aibek Dadebay. As for its legislative agenda, all signs indicate that the Kurultai will largely pick up where the old parliament left off. Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spent the last week plotting a roadmap for the incoming Kurultai, and his to-do list is grounded in long-standing governmental priorities. On August 27, for example, citing the example of “several well-developed countries,” Tokayev said he planned to ask Kurultai deputies to consider banning social media for children under the age of 16, in what will essentially be a continuation of a bill submitted to parliament in June, (https://vlast.kz/novosti/70619-tokaev-na-pervoj-sessii-kurultaa-predlozit-deputatam-rassmotret-zapret-socsetej-detam-mladse-16-let.html) according to local independent media outlet Vlast.kz. In a similar vein, speaking at an educators’ conference on August 26, Tokayev (https://vlast.kz/novosti/70617-vopros-otkrytia-kazahstansko-kitajskoj-skoly-iskusstvennogo-intellekta-polucil-prorabotat-tokaev.html) called on the government to take more urgent measures to implement his May presidential decree on the introduction of artificial intelligence into the national education system. The directive came as part of the country’s (https://thediplomat.com/2026/06/6-months-into-kazakhstans-year-of-ai/) Year of Artificial Intelligence program, itself a continuation of the (https://thediplomat.com/2026/06/6-months-into-kazakhstans-year-of-ai/) broader strategy on AI launched in 2025 following the creation of the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development. Amid these more conventional proposals, Tokayev’s most interesting comments arguably came during  an appearance at a polling station on August 23 — and not only because he rebuked his compatriots for hugging and kissing in contravention of the country’s “time-honored traditions,” and called on Kazakhstani men to instead shake hands “firmly,” not like a “warm cutlet or a twig.” Speaking after casting his ballot, Tokayev also suggested that Kazakhstan needed to be “turned into a major building site,” and proposed (https://www.akorda.kz/ru/glava-gosudarstva-progolosoval-na-vyborah-deputatov-kurultaya-respubliki-kazahstan-2372143#:~:text=The%20Constitutional%20Court%20made,a%20more%20specific%20answer.) transferring significant amounts of money from the National Fund to spur this drive for development, a policy hastily (https://www.time.kz/articles/zloba/2026/08/25/ne-sobaka-na-sene) confirmed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin at a briefing on August 25. According to Zhumangarin, Kazakhstan’s government is set to withdraw nearly 12 trillion tenge ($26.2 billion) from the National Fund, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, despite (https://kaztag.kz/en/news/kazakhstan-to-halve-annual-transfers-from-national-fund-to-2-8-trillion-tenge) pledging last summer to scale down transfers through 2028 to reduce the national budget’s dependence on oil revenues. (Kazakhstan’s National Fund is largely financed by revenues generated from the country’s oil and other extractive industries, with a portion of these revenues saved and invested for future generations.) This too, however, equates to picking up where previous governments left off. As Kazakhstani political scientist Daniyar Ashimbayev (https://t.me/dashimbayev/11174) wrote , “the National Fund has for years been actively misappropriated for unclear purposes,” with the state dipping into the reserve to inject money into the economy, “without concerning itself with the wisdom of such spending.” What this all means is that the change in form promised by Kazakhstan’s new parliament does not appear to be matched by a change in its function. The Kurultai may have a number of (https://t.me/s/gaziz1984/5369) new politicians taking their seats today, but the policies, practices, and priorities shaping the country’s politics remain largely unchanged. Authors (Oliver Fisk) (Oliver Fisk) Contributing Author Oliver Fisk Oliver Fisk is a journalist based in Almaty, Kazakhstan. 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