Kazakhstan’s Parliament may become unicameral. President
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev put forward this proposal during his state-of-the-nation
address. He emphasized that the initiative could be put to a nationwide
referendum, stating that all matters of historical significance for the country
should be decided only with the consent of the people. If adopted,
the President believes that a
unicameral Parliament should
be elected solely through party lists, which aligns with a widely accepted
parliamentary practice worldwide.
«I believe that holding a discussion, given the
extraordinary nature of the reform, will take at least a year, after which a
nationwide referendum could be held in 2027, followed by the necessary
amendments to the Constitution. In this way, the current Mazhilis, the lower house
of the Kazakh Parliament, will have the opportunity to conduct the legislative
process almost until the end of its term. The Senate, the upper house, will
continue to function until the results of the nationwide referendum are
finalized and new parliamentary elections are held,» Tokayev noted.
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