Kazakhstan votes in parliamentary election expected to strengthen president’s grip on power

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Polls opened Sunday in Kazakhstan’s parliamentary elections, a vote expected to further to strengthen President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s power in Central Asia’s largest nation.

The ruling pro-presidential Adilet party is widely predicted to win an overwhelming majority, with several smaller parties loyal to Tokayev also anticipated to enter parliament.

Tokayev, 73 — a former Soviet official and Kazakh diplomat who previously worked at the United Nations — has been in office since 2019.

It is the country’s first elections to a new, single-chamber parliament called the Kurultai.

Sunday’s vote is the culmination of a constitutional overhaul Tokayev initiated in March, when 87% of voters supported a referendum to merge the two chambers of parliament into one and grant the president authority to appoint key officials, subject to parliamentary approval, including reestablishing the vice presidency.

Tokayev, who has sought to maintain a delicate balance between Moscow and the West since sanctions were imposed on Russia over the war in Ukraine, has justified the changes by citing the need for rapid decision-making in a fast-changing world.

Last month, Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Court ruled that the amendments effectively reset the clock on Tokayev’s previous terms in office, opening the door for him to run for another seven-year term.

The election comes at a difficult economic moment for Kazakhstan: inflation hit 10.2% in February, and tax hikes have fueled public discontent.

Analysts say the economic strain has made authorities wary of a repeat of the unrest of January 2022, when fuel price protests spiraled into violence that left dozens of protesters and police officers dead — a scenario Tokayev is seeking to guard against by concentrating power in his own hands.

Tokayev said the vote promises to be a “truly historic event."

“Without a doubt, these elections will be remembered as perhaps the most interesting in our country’s history,” Tokayev said Friday. “Amid unprecedented geopolitical tensions and mounting global challenges, we must firmly and consistently implement our strategy to transform Kazakhstan into a truly developed state.”

The vote is also taking place against a backdrop of intensifying crackdowns on press freedom. Media organizations have urged Tokayev to drop criminal charges against several journalists currently under house arrest and to revise the country’s legislation to ensure press freedom. Authorities have opened roughly 10 criminal cases against independent journalists and popular bloggers.

The most recent case involves Lukpan Akhmedyarov, an independent journalist who hosts the YouTube project “Prosto Zhurnalistika”, or Simply Journalism. He told The Associated Press that a criminal case was opened against him in August on charges of “disseminating false information” after he published a list of Kazakhstani citizens fighting in Ukraine. He faces up to seven years in prison.

“In the run-up to these parliamentary elections, repression has intensified sharply, with attacks on independent media, cyberattacks, and criminal cases launched against independent journalists and popular bloggers,” Akhmedyarov told the AP from Almaty. “It feels like the authorities want to silence all media outlets they don’t control — everyone they couldn’t reach an agreement with or couldn’t buy off.”

Akhmedyarov said the streets of Kazakhstan’s major cities are “flooded with advertisements and posters for the pro-presidential Adilet party.”

“It is not very difficult to predict the outcome of these elections,” he said.

A Kazakhstan's soldier casts his ballot at a polling station during early parliamentary elections in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Vladimir Tretyakov)

A man casts his ballot at a polling station during early parliamentary elections in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Vladimir Tretyakov)

A Kazakhstan's soldiers line-up to vote at a polling station during early parliamentary elections in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Vladimir Tretyakov)

A woman holds her ballot at a polling station during early parliamentary elections in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Vladimir Tretyakov)

MACKAY, Australia (AP) — Mitchell Starc's 10-wicket match haul lifted Australia to a morale boosting victory by an innings and 51 run in the second cricket test as it leveled the two-match series against Bangladesh inside two days.

Starc returned match figures of 10-51, after taking four wickets Sunday to go with his incredible 6-12 on a wild Day 1 which saw Bangladesh bundled out for 64 before the hosts also had its struggles on a spicy pitch at Mackay, in northern Queensland state.

It was the evergreen left-arm swing bowler's fourth ten-wicket haul in tests and also saw him move past South Africa pace great Dale Steyn into 10th on the all-time list with 445 wickets, with Starc having no thoughts of finishing up yet.

(The body's) still hanging together, I thoroughly enjoy being a part of this group,” said Starc, named player-of-the-series for his 12 wickets across the two matches. “Test cricket, I’ve said it before, it will always be the pinnacle for me. I’d like to milk my body for all I can for test cricket, and that’s how it’ll remain.”

Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon (3-25) each took three wickets to support Starc as Bangladesh could only manage 95 in its second innings to hand Australia a comprehensive win after its shock loss in last week's first test at Darwin.

Captain Najmul Hossain Shanto top scored for the visitors with 31, while Mushfiqur Rahim had an unbeaten 29, but the pair had very little help from the remaining tourist batters with only two scoring above double digits.

I think this is a different condition (to the first test in Darwin) and there’s a little bit more extra bounce and swing in the air,” Shanto said. “So it’s challenging for us, but as a team if we want to go forward we need to adjust and I hope this experience will help going forward.”

Earlier Sunday, Australia resumed at 165-8 with Cameron Green and Nathan Lyon adding another 28 useful runs Sunday for the ninth wicket.

After also taking six wickets on Day 1, Shoriful Islam soon picked up his seventh with a searing inswinging yorker which struck Green on the front foot and was given out leg before wicket on review.

Shoriful’s 7-48 was the best bowling figures for a Bangladesh player away from home.

Green’s 67 off 105 balls with 10 boundaries was the top score of the match so far and follows his breakthrough home century in the first test at Darwin to lock down his place in Australia's middle order.

“We’ve got 20 tests coming up this year, so yeah, you want to get off to a good start, and I felt like I have done that, Green said. “So now it’s just building on that and finding something that works and just continue with it.

Lyon (32 not out) and Josh Hazlewood then pushed Australia’s score past 200 before Hazelwood (6) skied a catch off Taijul Islam (1-17) to end the innings at 210, and a significant first innings lead of 146 runs on a bowlers’ wicket.

Fresh from taking 6-12 in the first innings, Starc again tormented Bangladesh’s top order in the second innings taking another two wickets in consecutive balls to have the visitors' reeling early in its chase.

After surviving Starc’s first over of the second innings, Bangladesh were not as fortunate in the Aussie’s next over as Shadman Islam (1) edged a catch to Marnus Labuschagne, before Mominul Haque (0) shouldered arms and had his off stump rattled with Starc’s next delivery.

Starc (4-39) returned after lunch to remove the luckless Litton Das for another duck. The wicketkeeper batter faced 27 balls across three innings in the series for no runs.

Cummins (3-10) made a double breakthrough after lunch with Mehidy Hasan Miraz edging behind to Alex Carey, before Hasan Mahmud popped up a catch to short leg, to go with removing Tanzid Hasan (9) caught on the boundary earlier in the day.

Starc got his fourth ten-wicket haul in his 107th test with a characteristic delivery that went through the gate of bat and pad and bowled Taijul Islam for seven just before tea.

Starc missed the opportunity to improve his best bowling figures (11-94 vs. Sri Lanka at Galle in 2016) as Lyon cleaned up the tail taking the final two wickets — Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam — in the first over after tea to seal victory.

The two-test “Top End” series starts a heavy 12-month schedule for the Australians that will feature 20 test matches, including tours to South Africa, India and England.

See AP’s full cricket coverage here

Mitchell Starc of Australia appeals unsuccessfully for a wicket during play on day two of the first cricket test against Bangladesh in Darwin, Australia, Friday, Aug.14, 2026, (James Ross/AAPImage via AP)