Kazakhstan’s Shift to a Unicameral Kurultai Centralizes Foreign Policy Control
Kazakhstan replaced its bicameral legislature with a single-chamber Kurultai, concentrating foreign-policy oversight under President Tokayev and a new committee.
Following a June referendum, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed laws that instituted a unicameral parliament called the Kurultai, whose 145 members were chosen by party lists on August 23. The reform cut the number of legislative committees from 13 to eight and eliminated the Senate’s secondary review of international agreements. All foreign-policy matters now pass through the Kurultai’s Committee on International Relations, chaired by Marat Kozhayev.
The new constitution grants the president the power to set foreign-policy direction, negotiate and sign treaties, and even dissolve the Kurultai under certain conditions. An advisory People’s Council, appointed by the president, can propose legislation but lacks decision-making authority. Analysts warn that the loss of a second legislative chamber may increase the risk of rushed or poorly vetted agreements.
