ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Parliament met for the last time in its current form on June 30 as President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev framed the country’s constitutional overhaul as a new stage in political modernization and marked the close of a three-decade institutional chapter.
A new Constitution takes effect on July 1 and is set to replace the Senate and the Mazhilis with a unicameral legislature, the Kurultai. Under the new constitutional framework, the Parliament formed under the 1995 Constitution terminates its powers, with elections to the Kurultai to take place in August.
Addressing the Parliament, Tokayev said the new Kurultai will be a defining symbol of Kazakhstan’s next political chapter. He noted its work will reflect how effective the country’s reforms have been as he prepares to call elections under the new Constitution. Tokayev added he would soon sign a decree calling elections to the Kurultai and urged citizens to take an active part in what he described as a decisive political campaign for the country.
“The Kurultai is the most important symbol of new Kazakhstan. Therefore, it must include true patriots, proactive individuals with a strong sense of statehood, in other words, the best of the best. It is by the work of the Kurultai that people will judge how effective the reforms have been,” Tokayev said.
“A new stage is a time of new opportunities,” he added. Tokayev also welcomed the merger of Amanat, Kazakhstan’s long-dominant ruling party formerly known as Nur Otan, into the newly established Adilet party, describing it as a historic milestone. “The upcoming elections must become an example of open, honest and fair political competition,” he said.
The new Constitution provides that the Kurultai will have 145 deputies, elected in accordance with constitutional law through proportional representation in a single nationwide electoral district. The term of office for Kurultai deputies will be five years. Under Article 69 of the new Constitution, the government will relinquish its powers before the newly elected Kurultai.
87.15% of Kazakhstan’s citizens backed the new Constitution in a March 15 national referendum. Besides the unicameral Parliament, the changes also include the establishment of the Halyk Kenesi (People’s Council) and the creation of the vice presidency institution.
The vice president will be first in line to assume the powers of head of state in the event of the president’s early resignation or inability to perform his duties.