Kazakhstan dissolves its bicameral parliament as Tokayev's new constitution takes effect
The Senate and Mazhilis hold their final joint sitting June 30; on July 1 the 1995 constitution is replaced by a charter creating a unicameral Kurultai of 145 deputies, with elections scheduled for August
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Kazakhstan's new constitution entered force on July 1, dissolving the Senate and Mazhilis and replacing them with the 145-member unicameral Kurultai. The Constitutional Law on the Kurultai's legal status, signed June 5, also took effect simultaneously. Kurultai elections are scheduled for August 2026; the reinstated Vice President position will be filled in those elections. ↗
Summary
Kazakhstan's bicameral parliament held its final joint sitting on June 30, 2026, before the new constitution takes effect July 1, replacing the Senate and Mazhilis with a unicameral Kurultai of 145 deputies elected by party list. The constitution, approved 87% in a March 15 referendum and signed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on March 17, rewrote 84% of the 1995 charter and reinstates the office of Vice President. Kurultai elections are scheduled for August 2026.
Why it matters
The constitutional overhaul is the most sweeping institutional change in Kazakhstan since independence. Critics say eliminating the Senate removes the main check on the Mazhilis, concentrating legislative power in a single chamber dependent on Tokayev's Amanat-aligned parties; Tokayev frames it as democratic simplification ahead of a more competitive Kurultai vote.