Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of Kazakhstan, proposed to strengthen the role of Parliament

In his address to the people of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, proposed a number of measures for the formation of an effective state, in particular, strengthening the role of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and transition from a super-presidential to a presidential form of government.
“We need coordinated steps towards restructuring Kazakhstan’s political development model. Above all, we are talking about an eventual transition from a super-presidential form of government to a presidential republic with a strong parliament,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Wednesday in an address to the people of Kazakhstan at a joint session of the houses of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
“Such a system will ensure an optimal balance of government institutions and contribute to the country’s sustainable development,” says the message, posted on https://akorda.kz.
“Today the President is literally the focal point of everything, and this is wrong. We need to gradually move away from this practice. The long-term interests of the state are more important to me than any additional levers of power and situational influence,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.
The President proposed to legislate the termination of the President’s membership in the ruling party of the country for the period of his mandate. “I propose to enshrine in law that the President must terminate their party membership during their term in office. This will increase political competition and ensure equal conditions for the development of all parties,” stressed Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan suggested moving to an updated system of forming the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan by reducing the presidential quota: “The presidential quota in the Senate should be seen not as a means of control, but as a mechanism to take into account the votes and opinions of social groups poorly represented in Parliament. That is why I have decided to reduce the presidential quota in the Senate from 15 to 10 deputies,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.
The president has proposed lowering the threshold for party registration fourfold and simplifying the registration procedure. “Procedures for party registration will be significantly simplified. The registration threshold should be dropped fourfold, from 20,000 to 5,000 people, the minimum number of regional representations will be reduced threefold, from 600 to 200 people. The minimum number members of a public advocacy group to form a party will be lowered by almost a third, from 1,000 to 700 people,” the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan said.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed switching to a mixed proportional-majoritarian voting system for the Majilis elections instead of the current proportional voting system based on party tickets.
“I propose to move to a more harmonious mixed electoral system, which will fully take into account the rights of all citizens,” stressed the President of Kazakhstan. “The proportional-majoritarian model will better reflect the interests of voters, both nationally and regionally,” he said.
The Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan is proposed to be formed on the following principles: 70% of the deputies will be elected on a proportional basis and 30% on a majoritarian basis. The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan stressed that the mixed election model will also be introduced in the elections of maslikhats (local representative bodies of power) of regions and cities of republican subordination.