Kazakhstan to hold first-ever unicameral Kurultai elections
On August 23, Kazakhstan will hold its first elections since the adoption of a new constitution - now, for the first time in the country's history, citizens will have to elect a unicameral parliament, rather than a bicameral one, as before.
Kazakhstan will hold its first-ever unicameral Kurultay elections.
The main political force in these elections will likely be the newly formed Adolat party, which unites Kazakhstan's largest businessmen. All of these businessmen have supported the political course of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Tokayev explained that replacing the bicameral parliament with a unicameral system would strengthen the influence of the legislature and help establish a "more precise balance" in state governance. Changing the parliamentary structure was one of the key provisions of the new text of the Constitution, which was adopted in a referendum on March 15.
The new parliament - Kurultay - will consist of 145 deputies. They will be elected not in the lower house according to a mixed system, as before, but only on the basis of party lists. Independent candidates cannot be elected.
Therefore, it is not surprising that experts have come to the conclusion that, unlike the head of state, the role of parliament in such a scenario will, on the contrary, decrease. The concentration of power in the hands of the president will remain high, since the updated constitution allows him to cancel previous presidential terms.
Tokayev himself called the parliamentary elections "the most important event in the life of the country." "We are on the threshold of fateful events. A very responsible period awaits us," the president said.