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{{refimprove|date=March 2012|reason=So far only one reference is included}}
{{Politics of Kazakhstan}}
The '''politics of Kazakhstan''' takes place in the framework of a [[presidential system|presidential]] [[republic]], whereby the [[President of Kazakhstan]] is [[head of state]] and nominates the [[head of government]]. [[Executive power]] is exercised by the government. [[Legislative power]] is vested in both the [[Forms of government|government]] and the two chambers of parliament.

==Executive branch==
{{Main|Government of Kazakhstan}}

{{office-table}}
|[[List of Presidents of Kazakhstan|President]]
|[[Nursultan Nazarbayev]]
|[[Nur Otan]]
|16 December 1991
|-
|[[Prime Minister of Kazakhstan|Prime Minister]]
|[[Bakhytzhan Sagintayev]]
|[[Nur Otan]]
|8 September 2016
|}

The president is elected by popular vote for a [http://www.kazakhstanlive.com/3en.aspx five-year term.] The prime minister and first deputy prime minister are appointed by the president. Council of Ministers is also appointed by the president. President Nazarbayev expanded his presidential powers by decree: only he can initiate constitutional amendments, appoint and dismiss the government, dissolve Parliament, call referendums at his discretion, and appoint administrative heads of regions and cities.

The president is the head of state. He also is the commander in chief of the armed forces and may veto legislation that has been passed by the Parliament. President [[Nursultan Nazarbayev]], who has been in office since Kazakhstan became independent, won a new 7-year term in the 1999 election that the [[Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe]] said fell short of international standards. A major political opponent, former prime minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin, was prohibited from running against the president because he had attended an unauthorized meeting of "the movement for free elections". On top of this the election was unconstitutionally called two years ahead of schedule. Free access to the media is also denied to opposing opinions. In 2002 a law set very stringent requirements for the maintenance of legal status of a political party, which lowered the number of legal parties from 19 in 2002 to 8 in 2003. The prime minister, who serves at the pleasure of the president, chairs the Cabinet of Ministers and serves as Kazakhstan's head of government. There are three deputy prime ministers and 16 ministers in the Cabinet. [[Bakhytzhan Sagintayev]] became the Prime Minister in September 2016.

==Legislative branch==
The [[legislature]], known as [[Parliament of Kazakhstan|the Parliament]] ('''Parliament'''), has two [[bicameralism|chambers]]. The Lower House [[Majilis|Assembly]] (''Mazhilis'') has 107 seats, elected for a four-year term, 98 seats are from party lists, 9 - from Assembly of People. All MPs are elected for 5 years.<ref>[http://www.parlam.kz/ Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan]</ref> The Upper House [[Senate of Kazakhstan|Senate]] has 47 members, 40 of whom are elected for six-year terms in double-seat constituencies by the local assemblies, half renewed every two years, and 7 presidential appointees. In addition, ex-presidents are ''ex officio'' [[senators for life]].
Majilis deputies and the government both have the right of legislative initiative, though most legislation considered by the Parliament is proposed by the government. Several deputies are elected from the [[Assembly of People of Kazakhstan]].

==Judicial branch==

There are 44 judges on the [[Supreme Court of Kazakhstan]]. There are seven members of the [[Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan|Constitutional Council]]. Out of the 7 members, 3 are appointed by the president.

There are local and [[oblast]] (regional) level courts, and a national-level Supreme Court. Local level courts serve as courts of first instance for less serious crimes such as [[theft]] and [[vandalism]]. Oblast level courts hear more serious criminal cases and also hear cases in rural areas where no local courts have been established. A judgment by a local court may be appealed to the oblast level. The [[Supreme court|Supreme Court]] hears appeals from the oblast courts.

The constitution establishes a seven-member Constitutional Council to determine the constitutionality of laws adopted by the [[legislature]]. It also rules on challenges to elections and [[referendums]] and interprets the constitution. The president appoints three of its members, including the chair.

Under constitutional amendments of 1998, the president appoints a chairperson of a Supreme Judicial Council, which nominates judges for the Supreme Court. The Council consists of the chairperson of the Constitutional Council, the chairperson of the Supreme Court, the [[Prosecutor General]], the [[Minister of Justice]], senators, judges, and other persons appointed by the president. The president recommends and the Senate (upper legislative chamber) approves these nominees for the Supreme Court. Oblast judges (nominated by the Supreme Judicial Council) are appointed by the president. Lower level judges are appointed by the president from a list presented by the Ministry of Justice. The Ministry receives the list from a Qualification Collegiums of Justice, composed of deputies from the Majlis (lower legislative chamber), judges, prosecutors, and others appointed by the president. Under legislation approved in 1996, judges serve for life. <ref>{{cite web|last=Republic of Kazakhstan|first=Embassy|title=Kazakhstan Democracy|url=http://www.kazakhembus.com/page/kazakhstan-democracy|accessdate=2 April 2014}}</ref>

==Political parties and elections==
{{elect|List of political parties in Kazakhstan|Elections in Kazakhstan}}
{{main|Kazakhstan presidential election, 2005}}
On December 4, 2005, [[Nursultan Nazarbayev]] was reelected in a landslide victory. The electoral commission announced that he had won over 90% of the vote. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) concluded the election did not meet international standards despite some improvements in the administration of the election. <ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/kazakhstan/16553?download=true | title=REPUBLIC OF KAZAKHSTAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS 4 December 2005 OSCE/ODIHR Needs Assessment Mission Report | publisher=Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a2ml5vt5j2_M&refer=top_world_news | title=Kazakhstan's Nazarbayev Wins Re-election With 91% of Vote |date=2005-12-05 | publisher=Bloomberg}}</ref>

{{main|Kazakhstan legislative election, 2007}}
{{Kazakhstan legislative election, 2007}}

==International organization participation==
In 1999, Kazakhstan applied for observer status at the [[Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly]]. The official response of the Assembly was that Kazakhstan could apply for full membership, because it is partially located in Europe, but that they would not be granted any status whatsoever at the Council until their [[democracy]] and [[human rights]] records improved. Improvement in these areas has been made for in 2012, Kazakhstan was elected by United Nations members to serve on the [[UN Human Rights Council]].<ref name=unhrc>{{cite web|title=Results of the election of 18 members of the Human Rights Council held on 12 November 2012|url=http://www.un.org/en/ga/67/meetings/elections/hrc.shtml|publisher=United Nations}}</ref>

[[Asian Development Bank|AsDB]], [[Commonwealth of Independent States|CIS]], [[Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council|EAPC]], [[European Bank for Reconstruction and Development|EBRD]], [[United Nations Economic Commission for Europe|ECE]], [[Economic Cooperation Organization|ECO]], [[Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific|ESCAP]], [[Food and Agriculture Organization|FAO]], [[International Atomic Energy Agency|IAEA]], [[International Bank for Reconstruction and Development|IBRD]], [[International Civil Aviation Organization|ICAO]], [[International Development Association|IDA]], [[Islamic Development Bank|IDB]], [[International Fund for Agricultural Development|IFAD]], [[International Finance Corporation|IFC]], [[International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement|IFRCS]] (associate), [[International Labour Organization|ILO]], [[International Monetary Fund|IMF]], [[International Maritime Organization|IMO]], [[Interpol (organization)|Interpol]], [[IOC]], [[International Organization for Migration|IOM]], [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]], [[International Telecommunication Union|ITU]], [[Non-Aligned Movement|NAM]] (observer), [[Nuclear Suppliers Group|NSG]], [[Organization of American States|OAS]] (observer), [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation|OIC]], [[Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons|OPCW]], [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe|OSCE]], [[Partnership for Peace|PFP]], [[Shanghai Cooperation Organization|SCO]], [[United Nations|UN]], [[United Nations Conference on Trade and Development|UNCTAD]], [[UNESCO]], [[United Nations Industrial Development Organization|UNIDO]], [[Universal Postal Union|UPU]], [[World Confederation of Labour|WCL]], [[World Federation of Trade Unions|WFTU]], [[World Health Organization|WHO]], [[World Intellectual Property Organization|WIPO]], [[World Meteorological Organization|WMO]], [[World Tourism Organization|WToO]], [[World Trade Organization|WTrO]] (observer)

==See also==
* [[Government of Kazakhstan]]

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.carnegieendowment.org/events/index.cfm?fa=eventDetail&id=779&&prog=zru Will Kazakhstan Be Next? - On Political Developments in Kazakhstan by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]
* [http://www.centralasiacommerce.com Central Asia Commerce]
{{Asia topic|Politics of}}
{{Politics of Asia}}
{{Kazakhstan topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Politics Of Kazakhstan}}
[[Category:Government of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Politics of Kazakhstan| ]]

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