On June 30, the members of the VIII convocation of the Mazhilis concluded their third session and went on vacation, having passed the midpoint of their term. Co-founder of Astana Open Dialogue, Aibek Kumysbekov, provided an assessment of the interim results of the parliament’s lower house work in a commentary for Spik.kz.
According to his assessment, over the past two and a half years, the Mazhilis of the VIII convocation has become a significantly more active and influential participant in the political process. The expansion of parliamentary representation from three to six factions, along with the inclusion of single-mandate members, reshaped the configuration of the chamber and raised the level of discussion. Parliamentary activity has gained meaningful dynamics, and discussions have shed their previous formality.
One notable example is the work on the new Tax Code. The document was discussed twice at the Public Chamber under the Mazhilis, with active participation from civil society and business sector representatives.
The full text of the article is available on the website aod.kz in English, Kazakh, and Russian.