Tokayev says draft Constitution enables entirely new, more effective political system
If supported, the draft Basic Law is to pave the way for an entirely new, more efficient political system, that will drive sustainable development in the long-term, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated, Qazinform News Agency cites Akorda.
Speaking at the III Republican Forum of Maslikhat Deputies, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the draft Constitution will introduce a provision restricting chief justices and judges of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court chair, and the Prosecutor General to one term.
The Kazakh president called the single-term office for senior state officials an “unprecedented political novelty.”
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the Qurultay will have the power to strip judges of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court of immunity, approve the nominee for Prime Minister.
So, the checks and balances system is getting stronger and more efficient, said the president.
Stressing that the new Constitution seeks to abolish presidential quota in the new bicameral Parliament, President Tokayev said “deputies should be elected under uniform rules, with no exceptions or privileges.”
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also pointed to the provision prohibiting relatives of the president from holding political offices as well as senior posts in the quasi-public sector, which, according to him, will serve as a reliable barrier to nepotism and over-concentration of power.
The Kazakh president stressed that individual ‘influential’ figures, so-called ‘grey eminences’ and ‘backstage puppeteers,’ must not replace the role of state institutions, saying that this practice will be forgotten.
The country is embarking on a new stage of development, said Tokayev. “Public institutions shall adhere to the Constitution and relevant laws, not to the discretion of individual officials. This is the essence of political modernization,” he added.
"The evolution of state power has taken on an irreversible character," said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. “This crucial work cannot be stopped, nor can this process be reversed – the people will not allow it. I am firmly convinced,” he said.
The Kazakh president said a new governance model is being proposed to ensure all branches of power are equal in decision-making, while the president is responsible for their unhindered and coordinated work.
As well as highlighting that the powers of the country’s main representative body Qurultay will be expanded, the president said a unicameral Parliament will allow for effective legislative activity.
This is highly significant, given that the agility of state response to contemporary challenges acts as a pivotal driver of competitiveness amid the changing global order and domestic reforms, said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Earlier, Qazinform reported Kazakhstan secures 42nd place among over 160 nations in the global human capital ranking.
