The Government of Kazakhstan - The World Countries

Kazakhstan - Government

Based on the etymolgy of Kazakhstan, it was the name "Kazakh" may derive from the Turkic word "kaz" meaning "to wander," recalling the Kazakh's nomadic lifestyle; the Persian suffix "-stan" means "place of" or "country," so the word Kazakhstan literally means "Land of the Wanderers". The Government system in this country is the presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 17 provinces (oblystar, singular - oblys) and 4 cities* (qalalar, singular - qala); Abay (Semey), Almaty (Qonaev), Almaty*, Aqmola (Kokshetau), Aqtobe, Astana*, Atyrau, Batys Qazaqstan [West Kazakhstan] (Oral), Bayqongyr*, Mangghystau (Aqtau), Pavlodar, Qaraghandy, Qostanay, Qyzylorda, Shyghys Qazaqstan [East Kazakhstan] (Oskemen), Shymkent*, Soltustik Qazaqstan [North Kazakhstan] (Petropavl), Turkistan, Ulytau (Zhezqazghan), Zhambyl (Taraz), Zhetisu (Taldyqorghan)

National symbols

Golden eagle; national colors: blue, yellow.

The flag

The National flag of Kazakhstan has a gold sun with 32 rays above a soaring golden steppe eagle, both centered on a sky blue background; the hoist side displays a national ornamental pattern "koshkar-muiz" (the horns of the ram) in gold; the blue color is of religious significance to the Turkic peoples of the country, and so symbolizes cultural and ethnic unity; it also represents the endless sky as well as water; the sun, a source of life and energy, exemplifies wealth and plenitude; the sun's rays are shaped like grain, which is the basis of abundance and prosperity; the eagle has appeared on the flags of Kazakh tribes for centuries and represents freedom, power, and the flight to the future.

The National Anthem

Title	"Menin Qazaqstanim" (My Kazakhstan)
Lyric/music	Zhumeken NAZHIMEDENOV and Nursultan NAZARBAYEV/Shamshi KALDAYAKOV

note: adopted 2006; President Nursultan NAZARBAYEV played a role in revising the lyrics

More about the government of Kazakhstan

Constitution
Date of Independence	16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday	Independence Day, 16 December (1991)
Legal system	civil law system influenced by Roman-Germanic law and by the theory and practice of the Russian Federation
International law organization participation	has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
History	Previous 1937, 1978 (preindependence), 1993; latest approved by referendum 30 August 1995, effective 5 September 1995
Amendments	Introduced by a referendum initiated by the president of the republic, on the recommendation of Parliament, or by the government; the president has the option of submitting draft amendments to Parliament or directly to a referendum; passage of amendments by Parliament requires four-fifths majority vote of both houses and the signature of the president; passage by referendum requires absolute majority vote by more than one half of the voters in at least two thirds of the oblasts, major cities, and the capital, followed by the signature of the president; amended several times, last in 2022
Citizenship
Citizenship by birth	no
Citizenship by descent only	at least one parent must be a citizen of Kazakhstan
Dual citizenship recognized	no
Residency requirement for naturalization	5 years
Executive Branch
Chief of state	President Kasym-Zhomart TOKAYEV (since 20 March 2019)
Head of government	Prime Minister Olzhas BEKTENOV (since 6 February 2024)
Cabinet	the president appoints ministers based on the prime minister's recommendations; the president has veto power over all appointments and independently appoints the ministers of defense, internal affairs, and foreign affairs
Elections/appointments	president directly elected by simple majority popular vote for a single 7-year term (prior to September 2022, the president of Kazakhstan could serve up to two 5-year terms; legislation passed in September 2022 reduced the maximum number of terms to one 7-year term); election last held on 20 November 2022 (next to be held in 2029); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Mazhilis
Election results	2024: Olzhas BEKTENOV elected as prime minister; 69-0 in parliament 2022: Kasym-Zhomart TOKAYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Kassym-Jomart TOKAYEV (Amanat) 81.3%, Zhiguli DAYRABAEV (Auyl) 3.4%, Qaraqat or Karakat ÄBDEN (KÄQŪA) 2.6%, Meyram KAZHYKEN (Amanat) 2.5%, Nurlan AUYESBAYEV (NSDP) 2.2%, Saltanat TURSYNBEKOVA (QA-DJ) 2.1%, other 5.8% 2019: Kasym-Zhomart TOKAYEV elected president; percent of vote - Kasym-Zhomart TOKAYEV (Amanat) 71%, Amirzhan KOSANOV (Ult Tagdyry) 16.2%, Daniya YESPAYEVA (Ak Zhol) 5.1%, other 7.7%
Legislative branch
Description	Bicameral Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan consists of: Senate (50 seats); 40 members indirectly elected by 2-round majority vote by the oblast-level assemblies and 10 members appointed by decree of the president; members serve 6-year terms, with one-half of the membership renewed every 3 years) Mazhilis (98 seats; 69 members directly elected in a single national constituency by party list proportional representation vote (5% minimum threshold to gain seats) and 29 directly elected in single-seat constituencies to serve 5-year terms
Elections	Senate - last held on 14 January 2023 (next to be held in 2026) Mazhilis - last held on 19 March 2023 (next to be held in March 2028)
Election results	Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; composition - men 39, women 11, percentage women 22% Mazhilis - percent of vote by party - Nur Otan 53.9%, Auvl 10.9%, Respublica 8.6%, Ak Zhol 8.4%, QHP 6.8%, NSDP 5.2%, Baytak 2.3%, Against all 3.9%; percent of vote by party (single-mandate districts) - Nur Otan 75.9%, independent 24%; seats by party - Nur Otan 62, Auvl 8, Respublica 6, Ak Zhol 6, QHP 5, NSDP 4, independent 7; composition - men 79, women 19, percentage women 18.4%; note - total Parliament percentage women 20.9%
Judicial branch
Highest court(s)	Supreme Court of the Republic (consists of 44 members); Constitutional Council (consists of the chairperson and 6 members)
Judge selection and term of office	Supreme Court judges proposed by the president of the republic on recommendation of the Supreme Judicial Council and confirmed by the Senate; judges normally serve until age 65 but can be extended to age 70; Constitutional Council - the president of the republic, the Senate chairperson, and the Mazhilis chairperson each appoints 2 members for a 6-year term; chairperson of the Constitutional Council appointed by the president for a 6-year term
Subordinate courts	Regional and local courts
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Yerzhan ASHIKBAYEV (since 7 July 2021)
Chancery	1401 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
Telephone	[1] (202) 232-5488
FAX	[1] (202) 232-5845
Email address and website	[email protected] https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/mfa-washington?lang=en
Consulate(s) general	New York, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission	Ambassador Daniel N. ROSENBLUM (since 14 November 2022)
Embassy	Rakhymzhan Koshkarbayev Avenue, No. 3, Astana 010010
Mailing address	2230 Astana Place, Washington DC 20521-2230
Telephone	[7] (7172) 70-21-00
FAX	[7] (7172) 54-09-14
Email address and website	[email protected] https://kz.usembassy.gov/
Consulate(s) general	Almaty
National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites	6 (3 cultural, 3 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales	Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi (c); Petroglyphs at Tanbaly (c); Saryarka - Steppe and Lakes of Northern Kazakhstan (n); Silk Roads: the Chang'an-Tianshan Corridor (c); Western Tien-Shan (n); Cold Winter Deserts of Turan (n)