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 Speech
Institutional Reset and Government Formation
Launch 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 Oversight
Appointments 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 Agenda
E-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 Modernisation
Industrial 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 essential infrastructure across the regions.
Strategic use of the National Fund: Tokayev defended the use of National Fund resources for projects with long-term social and economic returns. He argued that the Fund should be judged by concrete outcomes for future generations, including modern infrastructure that children benefiting from the Fund today will be able to use in adulthood.
Golden Visa and migration reform: The Golden Visa is intended to support Kazakhstan’s effort to attract highly qualified specialists, advanced technologies and foreign capital. The President called for broader migration-policy reform and asked the Government to submit a bill for expedited consideration by deputies.
Energy resilience: The Kurultai is expected to accelerate legislation aimed at strengthening the technological resilience of the energy sector and developing alternative energy sources, placing energy modernisation within the wider agenda of economic competitiveness and national resilience.
Foreign Policy and Kazakhstan’s International Position
A middle power in a fragmented world: Tokayev described the international environment as increasingly unpredictable and marked by declining trust among major powers and weakened effectiveness of the United Nations system. Against this background, he said regional organisations and middle powers are becoming more prominent and explicitly placed Kazakhstan in that category.
Sovereignty through national capability: The President argued that states will adapt successfully only if they strengthen sovereignty through practical capacity in the economy, science, defence and diplomacy, while investing in human potential. Kazakhstan’s domestic modernisation was presented as a strategic response to present and emerging global pressures.
Continuity in external engagement: He said Kazakhstan will continue to defend its national interests by promoting peace, friendship and mutually beneficial partnership. The address emphasised that the country’s views are heard by leading global powers and linked its international standing to domestic stability, national unity and sustained reform.
Social Policy and Protection of Children
Support for children with disabilities: The President prioritised a law establishing comprehensive and targeted support for children with disabilities, including access to full education and higher-quality medical and social services. He called for dedicated centres in every regional capital and large district and invited responsible participation from sponsors alongside the state.
Under-16 social-media restriction: Tokayev endorsed the Government’s proposal to prohibit children under 16 from registering on social-media platforms and asked the Kurultai to treat the issue as a priority.
Education, books and culture: The Government is to prepare a new law on libraries and publishing during the current year, which the President presented as important to Kazakhstan’s intellectual development.
Political Participation and Electoral Messages
Turnout and international observation: More than 74 percent of citizens participated in the Kurultai election and approximately 800 international observers visited Kazakhstan, the highest figure in the country’s parliamentary history. He characterised the election as open, fair and well organised.
Adilet’s constitutional majority: Tokayev noted that the Adilet party won the largest share of voter support and secured a constitutional majority in the Kurultai. He said that result brings particular responsibility: the party should help consolidate society around common interests and act as a driving force for reform.
Party competition and public dialogue: The campaign was presented as evidence that political diversity is entering a new phase, with parties more clearly articulating distinct programmes and ideologies. The President said constructive views expressed within the law strengthen the country and called on parties to maintain sustained engagement with voters between elections.
Leadership Renewal, Public Ethics and National Identity
Women, young people and new leadership: The President highlighted a significantly larger share of women and young people in the Kurultai than in the former Parliament. He described renewal of personnel across all branches of power – bringing innovative, constructive and accountable citizens into politics – as an ultimate objective of the institutional reforms.
A culture of responsibility: Deputies were urged to reject empty promises and populism, serve the public interest and help establish a new civic ethic based on legality, transparency, mutual respect and pluralism. Tokayev said the public will judge the broader reform programme substantially through the Kurultai’s performance.
Identity oriented towards progress: The address called for a balanced understanding of national history that remembers tragedy without defining Kazakhstan through victimhood. Tokayev emphasised knowledge, science, work and self-discipline over myth-making, nostalgia and grievance, and framed unity as the essential foundation for building a Just, Safe, Clean and Strong Kazakhstan.