Kazakhstan's bicameral parliament, which had been in operation since 1995, has ceased its work as the country transitions to a unicameral legislative system. Today, June 29, the Senate held its final plenary session chaired by Maulen Ashimbaev, while the lower house, the Majilis, was dissolved a week earlier.
The full powers of the current legislative body will be terminated on July 1, when the new Constitution officially comes into force. The Senate and Majilis will be replaced by a new supreme representative body, the Kurultai, elections for which President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has scheduled for August of this year.
The official conclusion of the current parliamentary session will take place on Tuesday, June 30, at the last joint session of the chambers in recent history, where the head of state is expected to sum up the results of the work.
At their final meeting, senators considered seven final issues, including laws on soil protection, regulation of notarial activities, amendments to the agreement with Uzbekistan on border crossing points, as well as approval of external loans from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank aimed at covering the state budget deficit.
Over the 30-year history of the Senate, more than 890 plenary sessions were held and over 3,500 laws were adopted.
The reform of the political system was initiated by President Tokayev in September 2025 in his Address to the People of Kazakhstan, where he announced the abolition of the Senate and Majilis. After developing a package of amendments, the changes were put to a nationwide referendum held on March 15, 2026, where, according to official data, 87.15% of voting citizens supported the reform.
To date, the president has signed two accompanying constitutional laws regulating the status of Kurultai deputies and introducing a new position of vice president into the executive branch. According to the new Basic Law, March 15 has acquired the status of a national holiday.
Source: podrobno.uz