On December 19, Astana hosted the Eurasian Forum dedicated to the fifth anniversary of the founding of the Institute of Parliamentarism. The anniversary event was held within the walls of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and brought together leading experts from Kazakhstan, Central Asian countries, Russia and Belarus.The topic of the forum was the discussion of topical issues and prospects for the development of parliamentarism: "Parliamentarism: the legal framework, the path of development and the vision of the future."
The forum was opened by Natalia Vissarionovna Pan, Director of the Institute of Parliamentarism. In her speech, she stressed that the topic of parliamentarism is becoming particularly important for the states of the Eurasian region today. According to her, modern states are undergoing serious transformations of the system of public power: democratic institutions are strengthening, public demand for transparency and accountability of state bodies is growing. Under these conditions, Parliament, as a key institution of representative government, must meet the expectations of society. As the President noted, the strategic goal is to form a professional Parliament, which employs qualified and experienced specialists. One of the objectives of the forum was to form a holistic vision of the future of parliamentarism in a changing political and legal reality.
Deputy Chairman of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Dania Madievna Espayeva, Deputy Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Zhakip Kazhmanovich Asanov, Deputy Chairman of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan Bakyt Maratovich Nurmukhanov, as well as Chairman of the Human Rights Commission under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Igor Ivanovich Rogov addressed the participants with welcoming words.
The substantive agenda of the forum was structured around three key areas: the constitutional and legal foundations of the parliament, the evolution of parliamentary institutions in the context of ongoing reforms, as well as the prospects for the development of parliamentarism, taking into account global challenges, digitalization and the growing demand of society for participation in governance.
Zhakip Asanov read out a letter of thanks from Chairman of the Senate Maulen Ashimbayev, in which he noted the significant role of the Institute of Parliamentarism in the development of legislative activity and institutional strengthening of the country's parliamentary system.
Deputy Speaker of the Mazhilis Dania Espayeva also conveyed a congratulatory message from Chairman of the Mazhilis Yerlan Koshanov. The appeal emphasized that over the thirty years of independence, the Parliament of Kazakhstan has gone through a special path of formation and strengthened as one of the key institutions of state power. Each stage of the constitutional reforms opened up new opportunities for the development of parliamentarism, and the formula "A strong President - an influential Parliament – an accountable Government" put forward by Head of State Kassym–Jomart Tokayev gave an additional impetus to strengthening the legislative branch of government.A letter of thanks from Yerlan Karin, State Adviser of the Republic of Kazakhstan, was also read out during the forum, which noted the high professional contribution of the Institute of Parliamentarism to the development of parliamentary research and support for public administration reforms.
The forum participants emphasized that over the five-year period, the Institute of Parliamentarism has emerged as an authoritative and stable expert and analytical platform that consistently works at the intersection of science, lawmaking and public policy.Deputy Chairman of the Constitutional Court Bakyt Nurmukhanov, Minister of Justice Yerlan Sarsembayev, Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Astana Hub in the Field of Public Service Alikhan Baymenov shared their assessments and expert opinions during the forum.
Natalia Pan, Director of the Institute, made the first program report, outlining the priorities of parliamentary reform in Kazakhstan. Viktor Malinovsky, Deputy Director and Head of the Center for Constitutional Economics at the Eurasian Institute of Economic and Legal Studies at NARXOZ University, Doctor of Law, Professor, spoke about the role and place of the Kazakh Parliament in the modernization of statehood.
The issues of democracy, gender balance and inclusivity in the work of parliaments were highlighted by Kunduz Sabyrova, Professor of the Department of Civil Law and Advocacy at B. Osmonov Jalal-Abad State University, Doctor of Law. In her speech, she stressed that the parliament, in which women's participation is formal, loses legitimacy in the eyes of a significant part of society, while the real involvement of women contributes to the growth of confidence in government institutions.
A report by Ismail Lukmanov, a leading adviser to the Department of Information Policy and Integrated Security of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, was devoted to the topic of interparliamentary cooperation, which analyzed the legal foundations and practical effectiveness of such institutions.
Dmitry Rakhmanov, Head of the Judicial and Legal Research Department at the Institute of Parliamentary Studies at the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Candidate of Law (PhD), spoke about the mission, transformation and contribution of the Institute of Parliamentary Studies of Uzbekistan to the development of modern parliamentarism. He noted that in recent years, Uzbekistan has been implementing large-scale constitutional and institutional reforms aimed at strengthening the role of parliament and improving the quality of legislative activity.The experience of the Republic of Belarus was presented by the Head of the Department of Constitutional Law of the Belarusian State University, Corresponding Member of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Doctor of Law, Professor Grigory Vasilevich, focusing on the specifics of modernizing the system of organization of representative government.
The head of the Department of Theory and History of State and Law of the Tajik National University, Doctor of Law, Professor Ubaidullo Azizzoda, spoke about the formation and development of parliamentarism in Tajikistan. According to him, the evolution of parliamentarism in the country reflects the difficult path of transformation of post-Soviet statehood, during which political crises were overcome and a national model of public power was formed.
The forum also featured presentations by Andrey Makartsev, Dean of the Faculty of Law of the Novosibirsk State University of Economics and Management, Candidate of Law, Associate Professor, on the development of Russian parliamentarism in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Professor of the L. N. Eurasian National University. Gumilyov, Doctor of Law Ermek Abdrasulov on the principle of separation of powers in Kazakhstan, as well as Professor of the Higher School of Law "Adilet" of the Caspian University, Candidate of Law Alipasha Karaev, who reviewed the issues of improving forms of parliamentary control.
Separately, the forum participants noted the practical contribution of the Institute of Parliamentarism to government reforms. In 2022, a representative of the Institute joined the Working Group on the preparation of proposals for amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, established on behalf of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. This year, the Institute continues to work as part of the Parliamentary Reform Working Group, which is preparing proposals for the transition to a unicameral parliament, modernizing parliamentary procedures and improving the effectiveness of the legislative process.
