Kazakhstan's new Kurultai to convene Aug. 28, elect leadership and form government
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Kazakhstan's newly elected 145-seat Kurultai will hold its inaugural session on Aug. 28, chaired by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Deputies will take their oaths, elect the chamber's leadership, and begin forming a new government and appointing a vice president. The session activates the political system established under the constitution that took effect July 1.
Key Facts
- The Central Election Commission registered the 145 members of the Kurultai on Aug. 27.
- The inaugural session on Aug. 28 will be opened and chaired by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
- The Kurultai will elect its chair from among the 145 deputies, with the president nominating a candidate who must secure an absolute majority in a secret ballot.
- The new constitution, effective July 1, makes the Kurultai Kazakhstan's sole legislative chamber with a five-year term.
- The first session will be followed by the formation of the Kazakhstan People's Council, a new supreme constitutional advisory body replacing the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan.
Inaugural Session
The Kurultai's first session will take place on Aug. 28, opened and chaired by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The Central Election Commission registered the 145 members of the Kurultai on Aug. 27. Deputies will take their oaths of office, elect the chamber's leadership, and begin the process of forming a new government, appointing a vice president, and establishing the People's Council. Zhandos Aktayev, chairman of the Esti Bol Qory public foundation and doctor in law, said the political and institutional steps are clearly set out in law.
Constitutional Powers
Under the new constitution effective July 1, the 145-seat Kurultai serves as Kazakhstan's sole legislative chamber, with members serving five-year terms. The chamber passes laws, approves the president's nominees for vice president and prime minister, oversees the government and national budget, and authorizes certain senior judicial and state appointments. It also decides on matters including war, peace, referendums, and presidential elections, and may hold government members to account and pass a vote of no confidence. The Kurultai's first order of business will be to elect its chair from among the 145 deputies, with the president nominating a candidate who must be fluent in Kazakh and secure an absolute majority in a secret ballot. Once elected, the chair will nominate three deputy chairs, who must also be approved by a majority of all Kurultai members.
People's Council Formation
Aktayev said the first session of the Kurultai will be followed by the formation of the Kazakhstan People's Council, a new supreme constitutional advisory body that replaced the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan. The council will have the authority to submit legislation to the Kurultai, initiate national referendums, and serve as a platform for dialogue between the state and civil society. Aktayev said the election of the new Kurultai marks a continuation of Kazakhstan's political reforms, and its decisions and use of newly defined powers will face close scrutiny.
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Kazakhstan's new Kurultai to convene Aug. 28, elect leadership and form government
