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.