Tengrinews.kz — On Monday, June 29, the eighth Senate held the final plenary session of its fourth session. This term marks the end of the Senate in Kazakhstan’s modern history. Starting July 1, it and the Mazhilis will be replaced by a unicameral parliament—the Kurultai.
Tengrinews.kz — On Monday, June 29, the eighth Senate held the final plenary session of its fourth session. This term marks the end of the Senate in Kazakhstan’s modern history. Starting July 1, it and the Mazhilis will be replaced by a unicameral parliament—the Kurultai.
Session highlights
During its final sitting, the Senate considered seven items on the agenda.
Most of the agenda focused on international agreements. Senators approved treaties under which Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan will provide buildings and land plots for each other's embassies in Astana and Bishkek, as well as amendments to an agreement with Uzbekistan governing the operation of border crossing checkpoints.
Lawmakers also approved two loan agreements with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB). The funds will be used to help cover the state budget deficit.
In addition, the Senate adopted a law on soil protection along with related amendments to legislation on land relations and the agro-industrial sector.
Another bill approved by lawmakers introduced amendments to legislation governing notarial services and legal aid.
Last week, Kazakhstan's Mazhilis held its final sitting in its current form.
On Tuesday, June 30, the two chambers of Parliament will hold their final joint session under Kazakhstan's current constitutional system.
When the Senate will cease to operate
Kazakhstan's new Constitution will come into force on July 1, 2026. From that date, the current Constitution will cease to be in effect, while the date of its adoption, March 15, will become a national holiday celebrated as Constitution Day.
The current bicameral Parliament – consisting of the Mazhilis and the Senate – will also cease to exist on that day. Within one month, the President must call elections to the new unicameral Parliament, the Kurultai, which must be held within the following two months.
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev first announced the parliamentary reform in his State of the Nation Address in September 2025, proposing the abolition of the Senate and the Mazhilis in favor of a unicameral legislature. A working group was subsequently established to prepare additional constitutional amendments.
The proposed reforms eventually expanded so significantly that Tokayev described them as, in effect, a new Constitution. Several months later, Kazakhstan held a nationwide referendum on the constitutional changes.
According to the official results, 87.15 percent of participating voters supported the amendments.
