ASTANA, Kazakhstan, January 24. In Kazakhstan’s
future unicameral parliament (Qurultay) bills will be considered in
three readings, said Deputy Chairman of Constitutional Commission
and State Advisor Erlan Karin, at the first meeting of the
Constitutional Reform Commission in Astana, Trend reports.
According to him the proposal was made by the Constitutional
Reform Working Group. In the first and second readings, the content
of the bill will be defined, while the third reading will ensure
its legal accuracy.
Karin emphasized that Qurultay will become an authoritative
institution that will form constitutional bodies. He said that this
is an important step in strengthening the system of checks and
balances between branches of government and developing national
parliamentarism.
The Working Group has also reviewed the powers that were
previously under the exclusive competence of the Senate (the upper
house of the Kazak current parliament). The proposal is to transfer
these powers to Qurultay.
In his message to the people of Kazakhstan on September 8 last
year, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed transitioning to a
unicameral parliament. A month later, on October 8, the President
signed a decree establishing a working group for parliamentary
reform. The Constitutional Commission is the legal continuation of
this working group.
