Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has set the parliamentary election for August 23.
Medianews.az reports that this election is a requirement of the new constitution.
With the new constitution that came into effect on July 1, the era of a bicameral (consisting of the Mazhilis and Senate) parliament has ended. According to the constitution adopted in the March 15 referendum, the unicameral parliament – the Qoroltai – consists of 145 members elected by a proportional system (party lists) for a term of 5 years.
The renewed constitution envisions the head of state – the president – being elected by popular vote for a term of 7 years. No one can receive the head of state mandate more than once. Amending this provision is prohibited.
The president appoints the vice-president and the prime minister with the consent of the parliament.
In the appointment of government members (except for the ministers of foreign affairs, defense, and internal affairs), the prime minister's recommendation is taken as the basis.
Born in 1953, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has served since 1992 as deputy foreign minister of Kazakhstan, and from 1993 as first deputy. In 1994, he was appointed foreign minister, in 1999 he first became deputy prime minister, and subsequently prime minister.
Since 2002, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev served as state secretary-foreign minister, from 2003 as foreign minister, and since 2007 he chaired the Senate, the upper chamber of parliament.
From 2011, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was deputy secretary-general of the UN, and in 2013 he was again elected Senate chairman.
On March 20, 2019, Kazakhstan's first president Nursultan Nazarbayev resigned, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took the presidential oath and assumed the head of state position; he won the early presidential election held on June 9 that year.
On September 17, 2022, the presidential term was extended from 5 to 7 years, one-time re-election was prohibited, and on November 20, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev obtained another presidential mandate in another early election.
Togrul Ali,
Medianews.az