Abstract

The article analyzes what may become the most significant institutional shift in Kazakhstan’s political system since the adoption of the 1995 Constitution - the abolition of the Senate and transition to a unicameral parliament. The official rationale for the reform and its potential implications for representative government are examined. Special attention is given to the role of local representative bodies and the party system as the main channels for articulating regional interests. The aim of the study is to assess the impact of the transition to a unicameral legislature on the institutional role of maslikhats and political parties. The methodological basis includes new institutionalism and theories of political representation, supplemented by qualitative interviews with maslikhat deputies in one of Kazakhstan’s regions. The study identifies risks of power centralization and the erosion of regional voice under unicameralism, as well as prospects for strengthening maslikhats and parties as compensatory institutions. The findings suggest that the success of the reform depends on the actual expansion of regional and party autonomy and authority.
The scientific novelty of the research lies in analyzing the implications of Senate dissolution through the lens of regional actors’ perceptions and practices. This approach allows for identifying institutional constraints and potential capacities of maslikhats as key elements of regional political representation.