Kazakhstan's 8th electoral district

The Electoral district No. 8 (№8 сайлау округі; Избирательный округ №8) is a single-mandate territorial constituency in Kazakhstan, represented in the lower chamber Mäjilis of the Parliament. It covers the entirety of Abai Region, including all its regional districts, with its seat being located in Semey.

The constituency was originally formed for the 2004 legislative election and existed until being abolished in 2007. However, it has been reestablished in 2022 and is currently represented by deputy Nurtai Sabilianov (Amanat) since March 2023.

Geography
The Electoral district No. 8 is situated in the territory of Abai Region, and its administrative center, Semey, serves as the seat of the electoral district. It shares borders with No. 23 (Pavlodar Region) to the northwest, No. 19 (Karaganda Region) to the southwest, No. 17 (Jetisu Region) to the south, and No. 29 (East Kazakhstan Region) to the east.

History
The Electoral district No. 8 was formed for the 2004 legislative election as a result of redistribution originally within the boundaries of Akmola Region, and Baibol Ötepbaev served as deputy from the constituency. From there, the electoral district continued to exist until its dissolution following the 2007 constitutional amendment, which led to the abolition of all constituencies as part of the transition from a mixed-member majoritarian representation to a fully party-list proportional representation system. The change affected the composition of all seats in the lower chamber Mäjilis of the Kazakh Parliament beginning with the 2007 legislative election.

On 24 December 2022, the Electoral district No. 8 was reestablished by the Central Election Commission in the Abai Region, which came into effect on 1 January 2023 as a result of the 2022 amendment. The adoption of this amendment marked the reintroduction of a mixed electoral system for electing Mäjilis deputies, with the use of numbered constituencies being reinstated for the first time since 2004. It made its debut in the 2023 legislative election, with Nurtai Sabilianov becoming the elected representative of the constituency.