Kazakhstan’s government has stepped down as the newly elected unicameral parliament, known as the Kurultai, begins its first session, marking the next stage of political restructuring under the country’s new Constitution.
The resignation is part of a planned constitutional procedure following the formation of the new legislature. Kazakhstan’s new Constitution came into force on 1 July, reshaping the country’s political system and replacing its bicameral Parliament with a unicameral Kurultai.
Under a presidential decree, however, the outgoing government will continue to perform its duties until a new cabinet is approved.
“The Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan shall continue to perform its duties until the new composition of the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan is approved,” the decree states.
Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, his deputies and ministers will therefore remain in their roles until the new government is formed, while some members of the outgoing cabinet may retain their posts if they are reappointed.
The government’s resignation coincides with the formal start of work by the country’s new legislature.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev opened the first session of the Kurultai in Astana, describing the occasion as a significant moment in Kazakhstan’s political development.
“Today, our country is entering an exceptionally important stage of its development. This event is of exceptional, truly historic significance for our state,” Tokayev said, adding that the start of the Kurultai’s work marked the beginning of the renewal of the country’s political system.
The transition goes beyond replacing one parliamentary structure with another. Under the new constitutional framework, the Kurultai has been given broader powers in the formation and oversight of key state institutions, increasing the legislature’s role in relation to both the executive and judicial branches.
Judges of the Constitutional Court, members of the Central Election Commission and the Supreme Audit Chamber will be appointed in coordination with the Kurultai, while deputies will also have the power to appoint and dismiss Supreme Court judges upon the president’s proposal.
The legislature can lift the legal immunity of judges of the Constitutional Court and Supreme Court, as well as that of its own deputies. It will also approve reports by the Supreme Audit Chamber on the implementation of the national budget and hear the Constitutional Court’s annual address.
The Kurultai’s expanded authority also extends to oversight of the executive. Deputies can express a vote of no confidence in the government and submit proposals to the president for the dismissal of individual cabinet members.
“In other words, the Kurultai has been granted broad powers in the formation of the executive and judicial branches, as well as in resolving strategic issues that are of decisive importance for the future of the country,” Tokayev said.
According to the president, strengthening the role of the legislature is intended to reinforce checks and balances between the branches of government. He added that the broader process of modernising Kazakhstan’s state and public institutions would continue until the end of the year.
With the Kurultai now beginning its work, the next stage of the transition will focus on forming its leadership and appointing senior officials under the new constitutional arrangements.
Tokayev has nominated Aibek Dadebayev as speaker of the Kurultai. Dadebayev, who previously served as head of the Presidential Administration, has chaired the Adilet political party since May 2026.
Once the structure of the legislature has been formed, Tokayev said he would submit candidates for vice-president and prime minister for consideration by deputies, while the remaining members of the government will be appointed following consultations with lawmakers. The president also said an appointment would be made to the new position of deputy chairman of the Security Council.
Once the Kurultai and the new government have been fully formed, Tokayev is expected to deliver his annual address to the people of Kazakhstan. These appointments form part of the broader institutional transition triggered by the new Constitution, which came into force on 1 July.
Following its adoption, the Mazhilis and Senate ceased operating and the mandates of their deputies were terminated. The former bicameral Parliament was replaced by the 145-seat Kurultai, whose members are elected for five-year terms.
Kazakhstan held its first elections to the new legislature on 23 August. They were the country’s tenth parliamentary elections since 1991 and the first following the constitutional reform. Five political parties secured representation, while 111 of the Kurultai’s 145 deputies are new members.
The government’s resignation and the launch of the new legislature are therefore interconnected stages of the same constitutional transition, with the focus now shifting to the formation of the next government and the implementation of the new institutional framework.
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