On 28 August, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev presented the opening of the first session of the first Kurultai as the start of a new phase in Kazakhstan’s political development. Under the new Constitution approved in a nationwide referendum, the Kurultai becomes the country’s unicameral legislature and assumes wider responsibilities in law-making, institutional appointments and government oversight.The address combined immediate procedural announcements with a forward legislative agenda. It covered the formation of the Kurultai and Government, the planned Kazakhstan People’s Council, artificial intelligence and digital regulation, investment and migration policy, infrastructure and industrial development, social protection, and Kazakhstan’s international positioning as a middle power committed to peace and mutually beneficial partnership.Key Points from President Tokayev’s SpeechInstitutional Reset and Government FormationLaunch of the unicameral Kurultai: The President said the legislature’s first sitting formally begins the renewal of Kazakhstan’s political system under the new Constitution. He linked the modern institution to the country’s historical tradition of convening kurultais at decisive moments, while stressing that its purpose is contemporary state modernisation rather than a return to the past.Election of the Speaker: In accordance with Article 57 of the Constitution, President Tokayev nominated Aibek Dadebay to serve as Chair of the Kurultai and asked deputies to support the nomination.Formation of the executive: The Government has relinquished its mandate before the newly elected Kurultai. Once the legislature’s structure is in place, the President will submit nominees for Vice-President and Prime Minister, consult deputies, and then appoint the members of the Government.Next presidential address: After the Kurultai and Government are fully constituted, President Tokayev will deliver his annual Address to the People of Kazakhstan. He said the executive and legislative branches will be expected to implement its initiatives jointly, promptly and to a high standard.Kazakhstan People’s Council: The President said the Kazakhstan Halyk Kenesi, or Kazakhstan People’s Council, will be formed in the second half of September. He described it as the country’s first supreme consultative body representing Kazakhstan’s ethnic, regional, social and political diversity; as a constitutional institution, it will have the right of legislative initiative.A Stronger Legislature with Wider OversightAppointments and institutional checks: Appointments of Constitutional Court judges and members of the Central Election Commission and Supreme Audit Chamber will require agreement with the Kurultai. Deputies will also appoint and dismiss Supreme Court judges on the President’s proposal and may lift the legal immunity of Constitutional and Supreme Court judges, as well as deputies.Budget and government accountability: The Kurultai will approve reports by the Supreme Audit Chamber on execution of the national budget and hear the Constitutional Court’s annual address. It may express no confidence in the Government and propose that the President dismiss individual ministers, strengthening checks and balances across the branches of power.Constitutional alignment: A central task for the first convocation will be to review sectoral legislation and bring it into line with the new Constitution. President Tokayev called for laws that are fair, clear to citizens and responsive to contemporary conditions, with every provision subject to careful scrutiny and public-minded debate.Digital Government, AI and the Legislative AgendaE-Parliament platform: The President called for the rapid introduction of the E-Parliament information system into the Kurultai’s work. Designed as an integrated ecosystem of digital services, the platform is intended to identify and manage legal risks earlier and improve the efficiency of parliamentary analysis.Responsible use of artificial intelligence: Tokayev urged deputies to use AI to improve legislative quality and reduce corruption risks, while making clear that technology cannot replace professional legal expertise. Strategically important bills should undergo comprehensive expert review, with neither bureaucratic delay nor superficial analysis accepted.Digital policy package: Following presidential decrees on introducing AI into secondary education, developing the digital-assets industry and implementing the Digital Qazaqstan strategy, the Government is expected to prepare and submit the necessary legal measures. The Kurultai will also examine regulation of online platforms and mass media to strengthen the protection of citizens’ rights in the information space.Investment, Talent and Economic ModernisationIndustrial and infrastructure expansion: The President said structural economic reform is focused on sustainably improving citizens’ welfare. He highlighted industrialisation, new production facilities supported by public and foreign direct investment, and the renewal of municipal, transport, energy, water and other........

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