ASTANA - In his annual message to the people on September 8, 2025, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Zomart Tokayev announced an initiative that could fundamentally change the functioning of the country's legislative system. He proposed that Kazakhstan move from a bicameral parliament to a unicameral one. The final form of the reform would be decided by citizens in a national referendum scheduled for 2027. Tokayev, who has been at the helm of Central Asia's largest country since 2019, stressed that the initiative was a continuation of changes already made earlier. He has introduced several political reform packages between 2019 and 2021, and a major constitutional reform in 2022 that strengthened parliament, limited the powers of the president and introduced a seven-year presidential term without the possibility of re-election.
The current Parliament of Kazakhstan consists of two chambers: the Majilis, the lower chamber elected directly by the citizens, which passes laws, and the Senate, the upper chamber, which approves them. According to Tokayev, it is this model that often slows down the legislative process and complicates political accountability. A unicameral parliament, he said, would increase transparency and allow citizens to better monitor the work of their representatives. But the president denied that the change would take place immediately. A broad discussion is to take place over the next two years among political parties, civil society and experts. Only then will the issue be put to a referendum. "Key decisions about the future of the state must come from the citizens," Tokayev said.
An essential part of the proposed reform is a change in the electoral system. While parliament would be elected on a proportional representation basis, which will strengthen the role of political parties and increase competition, the majority system will be maintained at local level. Thus, citizens will continue to directly elect mayors (akims) of municipalities and regions. According to Tokayev, this model will ensure a balance between party representation at the national level and the personal responsibility of elected representatives in the regions.
Inspiration comes from the practice of European unitary states. For example, unicameral parliaments operate in Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Finland. According to the President of Kazakhstan, these examples show that a simple and transparent parliamentary model can be effective and strengthen trust between citizens and institutions. Political analysts point out that if the reform is approved, it will be one of the biggest changes in Kazakhstan's political system since independence in 1991. Only a referendum scheduled for 2027 will tell whether citizens will accept it.
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