According to him, over the next year, the government will work on the details of this reform, and a nationwide referendum may take place in 2027.
“Given the importance and uniqueness of this reform, I expect that the discussion will take at least a year, and after that, in 2027, we will be able to hold a referendum and make changes to the Constitution,” Tokayev noted.
He also stated that the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan and the National Kurultai have completed their functions and proposed to abolish the quotas for the president and the Assembly, while retaining quotas for women, youth, and people with disabilities.
The new parliament will consist of 145 mandates, with a term of office of 5 years.
Currently, the parliament of Kazakhstan consists of two chambers - the Senate and the Mazhilis.
The Senate, which is the upper chamber, is formed from deputies elected through maslikhats (local representative bodies) and appointed by the president.
The Mazhilis, as the lower chamber, consists of deputies elected in general elections, where 70% of them are elected from party lists, and 30% from single-member districts.
If citizens support the initiative, the new unicameral parliament will be formed exclusively from party lists, Tokayev added. He also proposed to name the parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kurultai.
