Kazakhstan Plans Ethics Council to Monitor Deputies’ Conduct

The constitutional law “On the Kurultai” was considered in the first reading at a joint meeting of both chambers of parliament, Orda.kz reports.

The draft constitutional law was presented by deputy Aidos Sarym. The document provides for the creation of a new supreme representative body, the Kurultai of the Republic of Kazakhstan. According to the authors, it will become the successor to the current parliament and will consist of 145 deputies elected under a proportional system for a five-year term.

Under the draft, the Kurultai will have the power to pass laws, form state bodies and exercise parliamentary oversight. The document also regulates the work of sessions, committees and commissions, the status of deputies, and the rules for forming a parliamentary majority and opposition.

Sarym also said one of the bill’s new provisions is the creation of a council on deputy ethics. It will develop proposals for imposing penalties on deputies in cases of unethical behavior.

For the first time, we are raising the issue of deputy ethics to the level of constitutional law. This is a very important institution that forms a new political and parliamentary culture. I want to note that the Mazhilis ethics commission worked during this convocation and became an effective institution. I will not hide that many of our colleagues managed to visit the ethics commission. In its current form, the ethics commission consists of the chair and members from each deputy faction elected to the chambers. This procedure may be preserved in the future regulations. In general, I believe these issues should be set out in detail in the regulations of the new Kurultai, where it would be appropriate,Sarym said.

If adopted, the law will come into force on July 1. At the same time, the current laws “On the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Status of Its Deputies” and “On Committees and Commissions of Parliament” will become invalid.

Original author: Ilya Astakhov

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