“The parliamentary elections held in March in Kazakhstan led to the departure of the deputies of the old three-party composition, and also allowed non-party deputies to return to the lower house. It has been reported that the elections to the lower house of the Kazakh parliament (Majilis) caused a real revival in the political life of the largest state of Central Asia.
“As a result of the elections to the Majilis, six parties were returned, which represent almost the entire spectrum of political opinions of the Kazakh society.”
Declaring the first session of the Parliament of the VIII convocation open, the Head of Kazakhstan wished success to the elected deputies.
In his speech, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev touched upon the main changes in the socio-political life of the country over the past 2022.
He noted that the reforms implemented in the country are based on the formula “Strong president – Influential parliament – Accountable government..”
He added, “this formula is the main pillar of our state.”.
“After the referendum, guided by the requirements of the updated Constitution, we started a large-scale transformation of all government institutions. This also meets the aspirations of all Kazakhstanis. In accordance with the amendments to the Constitution, presidential elections were held, as well as elections to the Senate, Majilis and maslikhats (local representative bodies). In less than a year, five electoral campaigns have been held, including a referendum. All of them fell at a very crucial period. Despite all the difficulties, we were able to pass the most important stage in the life of the country in a short time,” – K.Tokayev.
The Kazakhstani President called on the newly elected deputies to work together in the interests of the country and said that the course of transformation will continue.
“This is just the beginning of a long journey. Reforms aimed at improving the political system will continue. This is a very important job. This year, for the first time, direct elections of akims of 45 districts and cities of regional significance will be held. After that, we will move on to the elections of district akims across the country.
“As a result, all government institutions will work in a new way. Our movement towards democratizing political processes and further increasing the participation of citizens in public administration will continue. We should all be well aware that in the geopolitical environment, Kazakhstan is the only country conducting such profound reforms.
“Some citizens, including politicians, say that these reforms may lead to threats to Kazakhstan. But I am convinced that transformations are extremely important for the future of our nation,” the head of Kazakhstan stressed.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that all deputies have one task – to be on the “front line” every day, to make decisions and bear responsibility for them before the people.
The President focused on the main priorities of the state and shared his vision of the future work of the Parliament. In particular, the Head of state called for stimulating business activity, unlocking the country’s industrial potential, reviewing approaches to infrastructure development, paying special attention to ensuring food security, improving the quality of human capital, supporting socially vulnerable categories of citizens, strengthening the human rights protection system, improving the efficiency of public administration and the quality of strategic planning.
At the end of his speech, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that as a result of the reforms, the powers of deputies have expanded, as well as changes have been made to the work of both chambers. According to him, the bill was previously considered by the Senate after approval by the Majilis. Now the right to adopt laws has been transferred to the Majilis. Thus, the supreme representative body has become a truly influential Parliament.
