Legal System of Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is located in Central Asia. It is geographically situated in central asia, northwest of china; a small portion west of the ural (oral) river in easternmost europe. The country achieved independence on 16 december 1991 (from the soviet union). The capital is Astana.

Government Overview

Government Type: presidential republic Chief of State: President Kasym-Zhomart TOKAYEV (since 20 March 2019) Head of Government: Prime Minister Olzhas BEKTENOV (since 6 February 2024) Cabinet: the president appoints ministers based on the prime minister’s recommendations; the president has veto power over all appointments and independently appoints the ministers of defense, internal affairs, and foreign affairs Administrative Divisions: 17 provinces (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 4 cities* (qalalar, singular - qala); Abay (Semey), Almaty (Qonaev), Almaty*, Aqmola (Kokshetau), Aqtobe, Astana*, Atyrau, Batys Qazaqstan [West Kazakhstan] (Oral), Bayqongyr*, Mangghystau (Aqtau), Pavlodar, Qaraghandy, Qostanay, Qyzylorda, Shyghys Qazaqstan [East Kazakhstan] (Oskemen), Shymkent*, Soltustik Qazaqstan [North Kazakhstan] (Petropavl), Turkistan, Ulytau (Zhezqazghan), Zhambyl (Taraz), Zhetisu (Taldyqorghan) National Holiday: Independence Day, 16 December (1991) Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal System

The legal system of Kazakhstan is described as civil law system influenced by Roman-Germanic law and by the theory and practice of the Russian Federation International Law: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Constitutional Framework

The constitution has the following history: previous 1937, 1978 (pre-independence), 1993; latest approved by referendum 30 August 1995, effective 5 September 1995 Amendment Process: introduced by a referendum initiated by the president of the republic, on the recommendation of Parliament, or by the government; the president has the option of submitting draft amendments to Parliament or directly to a referendum; passage of amendments by Parliament requires four-fifths majority vote of both houses and the signature of the president; passage by referendum requires absolute majority vote by more than one half of the voters in at least two thirds of the oblasts, major cities, and the capital, followed by the signature of the president

Judicial Branch

Highest Court(s): Supreme Court of the Republic (consists of 44 members); Constitutional Council (consists of the chairperson and 6 members) Judge Selection: Supreme Court judges proposed by the president of the republic on recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council and confirmed by the Senate; judges normally serve until age 65 but can be extended to age 70; Constitutional Council - the president of the republic, the Senate chairperson, and the Mazhilis chairperson each appoints 2 members for a 6-year term; chairperson of the Constitutional Council appointed by the president for a 6-year term Subordinate Courts: regional and local courts

Legislative Branch

The legislative structure consists of bicameral Lower Chamber: House of Representatives (Mazhilis) (98 (all directly elected) seats) Electoral System (Lower Chamber): mixed system Upper Chamber: Senate

Citizenship and Suffrage

Citizenship by Birth: no Citizenship by Descent: at least one parent must be a citizen of Kazakhstan Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Historical Background

Ethnic Kazakhs derive from a mix of Turkic nomadic tribes that migrated to the region in the 15th century. The Russian Empire conquered the Kazakh steppe in the 18th and 19th centuries, and Kazakhstan became a Soviet Republic in 1925. Forced agricultural collectivization led to repression and starvation, resulting in more than a million deaths in the early 1930s.

This article provides a summary of the legal system and governmental structure of Kazakhstan based on the CIA World Factbook. The Factbook is a public domain publication of the United States Central Intelligence Agency.