At the third meeting of the Constitutional Commission in Astana, leaders of parliamentary party factions presented their proposals. Yelnur Beissenbayev, a Mazhilis member (the lower house of the Kazakh Parliament), emphasized the importance of a proportional electoral system and intra-party primaries, which would ensure a direct link between voters and the composition of Parliament. He noted that the factions are actively engaged in the reform process and support the President’s initiatives. The advantages of the new format for reviewing draft legislation were also highlighted.
«All legislation will be considered by the unicameral Parliament in three readings. In other words, while the first two readings will take the form of open debate, the third reading will focus on a detailed review of a bill’s compliance with the Constitution and national legislation. At this stage, proposals driven by lobbying, narrow departmental interests, or inconsistent with state policy will be excluded. The newly introduced third reading will thus serve as an important step toward strengthening thorough and professional legislative scrutiny,» Beissenbayev said.
In the current Constitution, the functions of the houses of Parliament are
set out in 13 paragraphs, while the new version contains 23, meaning that the
scope of their powers will increase by more than 1.5 times. Parliament members
note that the Basic Law as a whole should set guidelines in education, science,
innovation, culture, and national spirit. It has also been proposed to enshrine
the principle of inviolability of private life in the Constitution. These and
other proposals will first be considered and discussed by the Commission, after
which draft decisions will be submitted to a referendum. According to experts,
the proposed amendments will define the status of the Kurultai and strengthen
its role in the public administration system. The fourth session of the
Constitutional Commission is scheduled for January 28.
Related Articles
