ASTANA – In his annual address to the people on September 8, 2025, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced an initiative that could fundamentally change the functioning of the country’s legislative system. He proposed that Kazakhstan move from a bicameral parliament to a unicameral one. The final form of the reform should be decided by citizens in a nationwide referendum planned for 2027. Tokayev, who has been at the helm of Central Asia’s largest country since 2019, stressed that this initiative is a continuation of changes already made. In 2019-2021, he introduced several packages of political reforms, and in 2022, a major constitutional reform took place that strengthened parliament, limited the powers of the president, and introduced a seven-year presidential term without the possibility of re-election.

Kazakhstan’s current parliament consists of two chambers: the Mazhilis, a lower house elected directly by citizens that passes laws, and the Senate, an upper house that approves them. According to Tokayev, this model often slows down the legislative process and complicates political accountability. According to him, a unicameral parliament would increase transparency and allow citizens to better monitor the work of their representatives. However, the president has refused to make the change immediately. A broad discussion is to take place in political parties, civil society, and experts over the next two years. Only then will the issue be put to a referendum. “Key decisions about the future of the state must come from the citizens,” Tokayev said.

A significant part of the proposed reform is also a change in the electoral system. While the parliament should be elected according to proportional representation, which will strengthen the role of political parties and increase competition, the majority system will be maintained at the local level. Citizens will thus continue to directly elect mayors (aka akims) of municipalities and regions. According to Tokayev, this model will ensure a balance between party representation at the national level and the personal responsibility of elected representatives in the regions.

The inspiration is the practice of European unitary states. Unicameral parliaments operate, for example, in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. According to the President of Kazakhstan, these examples show that a simple and clear parliamentary model can be effective and strengthen trust between citizens and institutions. Political scientists point out that if the reform is approved, it will be one of the biggest changes in the political system of Kazakhstan since independence in 1991. Whether citizens will accept it will be shown only by the referendum planned for 2027.

oreshnik24.net