A single chamber of 145 seats and a restored Vice-Presidency: how Kazakhstan is governed

Background

Kazakhstan's bicameral parliament, made up of the Majilis and the Senate, has been replaced by a single chamber called the Kurultai. The Kurultai has 145 seats, against 148 in the two chambers it replaced, and its deputies serve five-year terms. All seats are filled by proportional voting from party lists; earlier, 69 of 98 Majilis seats came from party lists and 29 from single-mandate districts, while 40 of the 50 Senate seats were chosen by regional councils and 10 appointed by the President. The post of Vice-President has been restored after being abolished earlier. The Vice-President represents the head of state in dealings with the Kurultai and government bodies, must be non-partisan and cannot run a business or serve as a lawmaker. If the President resigns early, the Vice-President assumes the powers of head of state and a presidential election must follow within two months. The Constitution also establishes the primacy of national law over international law.