ASTANA – Yerlan Koshanov, Speaker of the Mazhilis, the lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, reported on the work of the deputies (MPs) during the first session of the eighth convocation at a July 21 meeting with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, reported the Akorda press service.
Koshanov spoke about the changes in the chamber’s work following the results of the constitutional reform. Photo credit: Akorda.
According to Koshanov, the deputies initiated 20 bills out of 82 considered during the session. They include draft laws on the return of illegally acquired assets, online platforms and online advertising, the Semipalatinsk nuclear safety zone, the circulation of liquefied gas, regulation of the movement of electric scooters, and other bills.
Koshanov noted the changes in the format of the chamber’s work following the constitutional reform last year. A diverse and widely represented Mazhilis with six political parties and single-mandate deputies has increased the transparency of the legislative work and has strengthened the feedback mechanism with the population. The deputies have begun to raise acute problems facing citizens in inquiries and questions to members of the Kazakh government.
During the last session, the Supreme Audit Chamber delivered a report for the first time on managing the heat supply, outlining several industry problems. The members of Parliament submitted questions to relevant ministries regarding the modernization of the thermal power plants and the heat supply networks.
The MPs are currently holding meetings with the population in the regions of the country to discuss and collect proposals for the draft Water, Budget, Tax, and Urban Planning Codes, which will be the focus of their work in the coming session.
In relation to parliamentary diplomacy, Koshanov informed that the MPs held meetings with the heads of parliaments of Azerbaijan, Belarus, the Kyrgyz Republic, Russia, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, and representatives of the legislative bodies of several other countries.
