ASTANA — The 2023 maslikhat (local representative bodies) elections in Kazakhstan highlighted the continued efforts toward achieving gender parity with a 30% quota initiative introduced by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in 2020 to enhance women’s representation and diversify local governance.
Photo credit: Romsvetnik/ Shutterstock
The statistics published by the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS) on Nov.25 on their Telegram channel indicate that while the quotas provide structural support, the number of women candidates remains disproportionately low. Women participation remains limited as structural and societal barriers continue to pose obstacles.
Political parties remain the primary avenue for women’s political participation, although their effectiveness varies. Studies suggest women’s chances of electoral success are more significant at lower levels of maslikhats, such as city or district councils, compared to regional ones.
Disparities in candidate registration
Gender imbalances were evident in candidate registration for maslikhats. Men comprised nearly 80% of registered candidates for regional maslikhats. Women demonstrated greater activity in city and district elections, accounting for 28.4% and 26.9% of candidates, respectively. Registration rates were relatively consistent, with women making up 28.8% of city candidates and 27.5% of district candidates.
Certain northern regions, including the Akmola, Kostanai, North Kazakhstan, Pavlodar and Karagandy, witnessed the highest registration of female candidates. In contrast, the Ulytau region had the lowest participation, with only 44 women nominated as candidates.
Regional challenges in registration
The refusal rates for female candidates also significantly varied across regions. The West Kazakhstan region had the highest rate of unregistered candidates (32.58%). The Turkistan region showed a rejection rate of 23.57%, followed by the Abai region at 20.18% and the Almaty region at 19%. In Karagandy, 18.45% of female candidates were rejected.
Some regions had notably lower rejection rates. In Kostanai, just 1% of women candidates were denied registration, the lowest nationwide. Zhetisu recorded a 3% rejection rate, while North Kazakhstan, Ulytau, and Kyzylorda ranged between 5.65% and 6.76%.
However, in parts of the Turkistan region, including four districts and the city of Turkistan, rejection rates reached nearly 40%. The West Kazakhstan region reported even higher disparities, with refusal rates of approximately 55% in four districts and the city of Uralsk.
Notable participation in key cities
Astana led in gender representation with 41 registered female candidates, the highest among cities of republican significance. Almaty followed with 36 registered female candidates. However, regions such as Zhetisu had only seven female candidates, while West Kazakhstan and Atyrau registered five each. The Kyzylorda region did not have any female candidates registered.
