The party emerged due to the split of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. The idea to create a new party belongs to the 12 members of the Central Committee of Communist Party of Kazakhstan, who withdrew its membership because of the disagreements with the first secretary of the CPK's Central Committee Serikbolssyn Abdildin. The reason for the split with the CPK was the election of as a secretary of CPK a member of Mazhilis Tolen Tokhtassynov. About 15 thousand members left CPK for QKHP. The founding congress QKHP took place in April 2004, on 21 June 2004 the party was registered with the Ministry of Justice of Kazakhstan. Following the elections to Mazhilis in 2004 party received 1.98% of total voters and did not pass into Parliament. In 2005 presidential elections QKHP nominated Yerassyl Abylkassymov as its candidate who received 0.34% of the votes. On 28 March 2007 the QKHP and the CPK held a joint press conference at which they announced an impending merger. QKHP subsequently abandoned the association with the CPK because of the sharp political differences. At a press conference in June 2007, Secretary of QKHP Vladislav Kossarev named the fact that the Communist Party of Kazakhstan was considering associations with QKHP only at the highest level as the main reason for refusing to merge, at the same time according to him consideration for such merger was not provided at local level. Leader of QKHP said also that structures of CPK has been completely destroyed and the authority of the party among the people has been reduced to zero-level. In elections to Mazhilis in 2007 the party won 1.29% of total votes and did not pass the electoral threshold to Parliament. In the 2012 election, the party won 7.19% of vote and 7 seats to become one of three parties to enter Parliament. Despite being officially in opposition, the party is considered as loyal to the regime and often votes with the government.
Ideology
The party states that its target is a move to a society of genuine democracy, social justice, general spirituality, freedom and prosperous economy based on scientific and technological progress and principles of scientific socialism. According to the QKHP ideology a centerpiece of the society shall be a citizen with full civic rights and liberties, opportunities for development and manifestation of their abilities, as well as abilities to satisfy his diverse needs. To achieve this goal the party has set itself the following tasks:
In the political sphere – struggle for democratization, conquest of power, establishment of genuine democracy, construction of People's Republic of Kazakhstan, recognition of ownership, precluding exploitation of man, namely: state, collective, private, shareholder, co-operative.
In the economic field – to overcome raw material orientation in economic development, introduction of modern technologies in industry and in agriculture, restoration of state ownership to key sectors of the economy.
In the social sphere – restoration and expansion of social security for the population that existed in the country before the reforms of the 1990s.
Membership for citizens of Kazakhstan aged from 18 in the QKHP is voluntary, individual, fixed, confirmed with party's ID. The organizational structure of the QKHP is based on the territorial principle. Organizational fundamentals of the party are primary party organizations which are created by three or more party's members with decision of meeting which has to be approved by a regional or municipal party's committee. Branches and representations of the party represent party's policy to population, cooperate with state executive and representative bodies, political and social groups, have their own seal and letterhead. As of July 2010, QKHP has 1,868 primary party organizations, 178 district committees, 33 city committees and 14 regional committees as well as 2 city committees in the cities of national importance. The supreme body of QKHP is the Congress convened by the Central Committee at least once in four years. The party's Central Committee organizes and coordinates the entire party's work. Central Committee's meetings shall be held at least once in six months. Supervisory bodies of the party are the Central control-revision commission elected by the Congress of QKHP, as well as regional, urban and regional control-revision commissions created in branches and offices of the party at party's conferences in conjunction with their governing bodies, control-revision commissions of primary party organizations elected at general meetings. The control-revision commission is accountable to highest authorities.
Symbols
QKHP has a flag and an emblem approved by the Congress of party. The flag is a red flag with a ratio of the flag's width to its length. At the top of the flag a bas-relief of Vladimir Lenin is represented. Along the top of the flag name of the party is written in Kazakh and Russian languages.