Kazakhstan’s reforms were discussed in Israel. Just days before the Kurultai election, representatives of the media, academic and expert communities in Tel Aviv examined the country’s new political model and highlighted prospects for cooperation in technology, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, DKNews.kz reports.
The roundtable was held at the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Israel. Kazakhstan’s Ambassador Daulet Yemberdiyev presented the key provisions of the new Constitution and outlined major changes in the country’s system of public administration and political structure.
Israeli experts focus on implementation of the reforms
Participants paid attention not only to the scale of the constitutional changes but also to how the new institutional model will function after the election.
Political analyst and Central Asia expert Arkady Dubnov described the constitutional reform as timely and positively assessed Kazakhstan’s pragmatic foreign policy course.
Alexander Tsinker, President of the ICES international expert center, said the new model reflects an effort to modernize the system of governance while preserving political stability and effective presidential authority.
The discussion had a practical focus: adopting new rules does not by itself complete the reform process. The key question is how those rules will be implemented through the country’s new institutions.
Kurultai will become the first legislature under the new model
The central institutional change under the new Constitution is the replacement of the former bicameral system with a unicameral Kurultai.
The new Constitution entered into force on July 1, 2026. The new supreme representative body will consist of 145 deputies, elected through a proportional system in a single nationwide constituency. Their term of office will be five years.
The first election of Kurultai deputies is scheduled for August 23, 2026.
The Tel Aviv meeting therefore took place at a particularly significant moment for Kazakhstan’s political system, as the country approaches its first vote following the restructuring of the legislative branch.
Israeli side highlights AI and cybersecurity
Political reform was not the only subject discussed.
Strategic communications expert Ayelet Frish expressed hope that the ongoing reforms would contribute to further development of Kazakhstan-Israel cooperation, including in technology and innovation.
Professor Eduard Yakubov, President of the Holon Institute of Technology, identified several specific areas with potential for deeper cooperation: advanced technological education, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital technologies.
These fields are directly connected to the broader bilateral agenda, as Kazakhstan and Israel continue to explore opportunities for stronger economic and technological cooperation.
Reforms also attract attention from Israeli media
Representatives of the media community also participated in the discussion.
Sylvia Golan, Executive Director and journalist at Diplomacy.co.il, gave a positive assessment of Kazakhstan’s political and institutional transformations in her publication.
The roundtable went beyond the election agenda. Participants also discussed historical and humanitarian ties between Kazakhstan and Israel, as well as prospects for cooperation in politics, the economy, education and technology.
For Kazakhstan, such a format provides an opportunity to explain its new political model directly to foreign journalists, experts and academics, particularly ahead of the first election to the Kurultai.
Attention now shifts from the model to how it will work
International discussion of Kazakhstan’s political reform is gradually moving from the question of what has changed to how the new institutions will function after the election.
In Tel Aviv, that political interest was accompanied by a practical dimension: Israeli experts linked the future of bilateral relations to technology, innovation, higher education, AI and cybersecurity.
DKNews.kz previously reported in detail on what Kazakhstan will be voting for on August 23 and how the first Kurultai will be formed. A total of 545 candidates from seven political parties are competing for 145 seats.
The next stage will begin after the vote, when Kazakhstan’s new political model will be tested not in discussion, but through the actual work of the first Kurultai.
