ASTANA – The Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan has received more than 3,000 appeals over five months since its establishment, but only 26% of them were under its jurisdiction, Chairwoman of the Constitutional Court Elvira Azimova said at a June 20 joint meeting of the chambers of Parliament, reported the court’s press service.
Elvira Azimova speaks at a June 20 joint meeting of the chambers of Parliament. Photo credit: Constitutional Court’s press service.
According to Azimova, citizens’ appeals are mainly related to the constitutionality of certain provisions of the law.
She pointed out that approximately 41% of the lodged appeals were about discontent with court decisions, but the Constitutional Court is not authorized to consider such decisions. Only 26% of the appeals requested a review of the constitutional laws and other regulatory legal actions.
She noted that citizens not only show interest in the new institution, but also want to safeguard their rights.
“The results of constitutional proceedings in the past five months revealed serious omissions in certain normative legal acts. Norms were declared unconstitutional in five out of the 18 adopted normative decisions. In other five cases, the Constitutional Court gave an interpretation of the relevant norms for the purpose of uniform application of the law. It is recommended to the government and relevant bodies to take necessary measures to eliminate the identified legal inconsistencies,” said Azimova.
Elvira Azimova. Photo credit: dknews.kz.
Current challenges and law enforcement practices demonstrate the need for a deeper critical approach to monitoring legislation for their relevance.
“It is important to harness the potential of laws on the ground to prevent violations or other negative consequences. The law should serve as a tool of prevention, not just a tool of punishment in law enforcement. The preventive role of legislation will enable to educate the society in responsible behavior and increase the trust of citizens in the authorities,” Azimova told the Parliament.
“The supremacy of the Constitution must be oriented toward the legislative and practical assurances of dignity, liberty, and justice for all,” she said.
