Kazakhstan’s newly formed unicameral parliament, the Kurultai, elected Aibek Dadebay as its speaker during its first session on Aug. 28. Dadebay, the leader of the Adilet party, was nominated for the position by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and was confirmed with a nearly unanimous vote by the 145 members of parliament.
The election of the speaker followed the Aug. 23 parliamentary elections, in which the Adilet party secured 71.17% of the vote, winning 110 seats in the Kurultai.
Dadebay, 46, has a background as an academic and diplomat. He has worked within Kazakhstan’s presidential administration and has a professional history with Tokayev dating back to 2013, when Tokayev was chairman of the Kazakh Senate. More recently, Dadebay served as head of the presidential administration until he was relieved of the post on May 5. Two days later, on May 7, he was elected chairman of the Adilet party.
The Adilet party was established in May and saw a significant expansion two months later when it merged with the Amanat party. Amanat, previously known as Nur-Otan until 2022, was the ruling party in Kazakhstan for over two decades and was associated with former President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which monitored the parliamentary election, released a statement noting what it described as an unfair advantage for Adilet that blurred the line between the party and the state.
During the Kurultai’s opening session, President Tokayev addressed the parliamentarians, stating that the Adilet party “bears great responsibility.” He outlined the parliament’s primary tasks, which he said included the need to “consolidate society around common interests and become a driving force for reform” and to “serve the interests of the state.”
In his nomination of Dadebay for the speaker role, Tokayev described him as an “educated, patriotic, and responsible citizen.”
Following the establishment of the new parliament, President Tokayev made several key governmental appointments on Aug. 31. He named Erlan Karin to the newly created position of vice president and reappointed Olzhas Bektenov as prime minister, a role Bektenov has held since February 2024.
Under Kazakh law, the president is prohibited from holding membership in any political party.
