Composition
The People's Council includes 126 members divided into three equal groups of 42 each:
- representatives of ethnocultural associations
- representatives of NGOs, professional associations, and civil society
- representatives of maslikhats and regional public councils
How It Is Formed
- First, candidates are nominated by the relevant bodies
- Then the final composition is approved by the President It is not an elected parliamentary body, but a consultative and nominative constitutional institution.
Powers
- the right of legislative initiative in the Kurultai
- the right to initiate a referendum
- sessions held at least once a year
How It Differs from the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan
The old Assembly is dissolved. The People's Council becomes its constitutional successor, but with a wider mandate that covers not only ethnocultural bodies, but also NGOs, professional groups, and regions.
Term and Launch
- members serve 4-year terms
- the law has been in force since July 1 and the Secretariat was created on July 2; no date for approving the membership or holding the first session has yet been published