Kazakhstan Lawmakers Yield Powers To New Kurultai In Tokayev’s Constitutional Overhaul

Kazakhstan’s legislature has voted to transfer significant authorities to a newly formed kurultai under a sweeping constitutional package put forward by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a move supporters say modernizes governance and critics warn will concentrate authority around the presidency.

The measure approved by deputies reassigns a range of supervisory and appointment powers from the lower house to the kurultai, an assembly Mr. Tokayev has described as a consultative forum meant to broaden citizen input. Lawmakers backing the change argued it creates a more inclusive structure by pulling in regional leaders, civic figures and, they say, a wider cross-section of society. Opponents counter that the text gives the executive outsized influence over the selection of delegates and limits parliamentary oversight.

The initiative is the core of what the president has called a constitutional reset aimed at recalibrating Kazakhstan’s institutions after the violent protests that rocked the country in early 2022 and the subsequent political shakeup. Officials framed the kurultai as reviving a traditional consultative practice while adapting it to contemporary governance; analysts say its legal establishment marks a visible shift in how power will be organized going forward.

Critics — including opposition parties and several human rights organizations — say the change risks hollowing out representative checks at a time when independent scrutiny is already fragile. “Transferring those authorities without new, enforceable safeguards may shrink effective oversight,” a constitutional scholar based in Almaty told reporters, noting that if delegates are appointed largely by the executive, the assembly could rubber-stamp presidential priorities rather than challenge them.

Government spokespeople pushed back, arguing the kurultai will expand avenues for public participation and introduce regional perspectives into national decision-making. They said implementation will begin in coming months and involve transitional arrangements intended to preserve legislative functions while the new assembly takes shape.

For investors and foreign governments watching Kazakhstan’s political evolution, the move raises questions about predictability and institutional balance. Some observers say the kurultai could help stabilize the system if it genuinely diversifies input; others warn it could entrench a centralized model. The next steps include drafting secondary laws to define the kurultai’s membership and powers, and a likely schedule for public consultations that will determine whether the changes are put to a wider vote.