Electoral Processes and the Legitimation of Political Authority: Results of the First Kurultai Election as an Indicator of Party System Development

Abstract

This article examines the relationship between electoral representation, party competition and the legitimation of political authority following the election to the first convocation of the Kurultai of the Republic of Kazakhstan on 23 August 2026. It analyses the composition of the new representative body using official election results, constitutional provisions and scholarly approaches to legitimacy. The methodology combines institutional analysis, calculation of the effective number of parties and a limited comparison with the party-list results of the 2023 Mazhilis election. The findings show that the presence of five parliamentary parties coexists with a high concentration of seats, with an effective number of parliamentary parties of approximately 1.69. The article argues that the electoral outcome establishes the distribution of representative authority but does not, in itself, measure public acceptance of political authority or the quality of political competition. It concludes that party system development should be assessed in terms of party autonomy, opportunities for political participation and the effectiveness of parliamentary oversight