The Mäjilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Kazakh: Қазақстан Республикасы Парламентінің Мәжілісі, romanized: Qazaqstan Respublikasy Parlamentınıñ Mäjılısı; Russian: Мажилис Парламента Республики Казахстан), commonly referred to as Mäjilis or Mazhilis (Kazakh: Мәжіліс, romanized: Mäjılıs, lit. 'Assembly', Kazakh pronunciation:[mæʑɪlɪs]) is the lower house of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, alongside the upper house Senate. Together, they form the national bicameral legislature of Kazakhstan, responsible for enacting legislation. Established by the Constitution of Kazakhstan following the 1995 constitutional referendum, the Mäjilis was first convened in 1996. The chamber plays role in the legislative process, debating and passing laws, where lawmakers discuss key issues facing the country and propose solutions to address them by representing the interests of constituents.
With a membership of 98 deputies, the chamber is led by a chairman and convenes in the Parliament Building situated in the Kazakhstan's capital city of Astana. Deputies of Mäjilis are directly elected to five-year terms, with the electoral process employing a mixed voting system, where 70% of the seats are distributed under party lists with a 5% election threshold, and the other 30% are allocated through first-past-the-post (FPTP) in 29 single-memberconstituencies.
Throughout its existence, the composition of the Mäjilis has been shaped by varying electoral systems and legislative reforms. From 1995 to 1999, it operated under the FPTP system before transitioning to a mixed-member majoritarian representation from 1999 to 2007, which blended constituency-based and party-list systems. Subsequent 2007 amendments saw the adoption of a party-list proportional representation system from 2007 to 2023, fostering the consolidation of political parties and the emergence of Amanat as the party of power. Notably, the chamber reverted to a mixed electoral system following the 2022 constitutional referendum, integrating proportional representation and constituency-based voting.
Moreover, the Mäjilis has encountered instances of early dissolution, which impacted the convocation terms of the Parliament and the governance of Kazakhstan. Over the years, the Mäjilis has gained significant authority, including the power to approve governmental appointments by the president.
In the 1995 elections, under the new parliamentary structure, all seats in both houses of parliament were contested in December 1995; runoff elections filled twenty-three seats in the Mäjilis for which the initial vote was inconclusive. International observers reported procedural violations in the Mäjilis voting. The new parliament, which was seated on 30 January 1996, included 68 Kazakh and 31 Russian members; 10 deputies members of which were women.[citation needed]
In the aftermath of the 2004 elections, the Otan became the first party in the Mäjilis to hold the majority of seats which became bigger after the Asar, Civic Party, and Agrarian Party merged with Otan in 2006.
Constitutional amendments and electoral law changes in 2021 and 2022 eliminated the nine seats reserved for the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan, reduced the electoral threshold for proportional seats from 7% to 5%, and re-introduced single member constituencies.
The Chairman of the Mäjilis heads the lower chamber and is elected by the Mäjilis members. The Mäjilis Chair opens sessions, convenes regular joint sessions and chairs the regular and extraordinary joint sessions of the Parliament.[10]
The Mäjilis Chairmen is assisted by two Deputy Chairpersons who nominates them and are elected by the deputies of the Mäjilis. The Deputy Chairpersons of the Mäjilis carry out tasks made by the chairman who take on certain responsibilities if he or she is not able to.[10]
Members
The term of office of the Mäjilis members is five years. Regular elections for Mäajilis are held no later than two months before the end of the term of office of the current convocation of the Parliament. Snap elections of Mäjilis members are held within two months from the date of the early termination of the powers of the Mäjilis.
A member of the Mäjilis can be a person who has reached 25 years of age, is a citizen of Kazakhstan and has permanently resided in its territory for the last ten years.
Deprivation of a deputy of the Mäjilis of the Parliament of the mandate may be made when:
Withdrawal or expulsion of a deputy from a political party from which, in accordance with the constitutional law, he was elected
Termination of the activity of a political party, from which, in accordance with the constitutional law, the deputy was elected
Acceptance for consideration of draft constitutional laws submitted to the Parliament and consideration of these drafts;
By a majority vote of the total number of deputies of the chamber, giving consent to the President for the appointment of the Prime Minister
Announcement of the next presidential elections
Exercise of other powers assigned by the Constitution
The Mäjilis, by a majority of votes from the total number of Mäjilis members, on the initiative of at least one fifth of the total number of the members, has the right to express a vote of no confidence in the Government.