# “The Kurultai is just the Mazhilis under a new name”

> It is not a simple rename: the Senate is abolished, presidential appointments are removed, the election system changes, the threshold rises from 5% to 7%, and women, young people, and persons with disabilities must jointly make up at least 30% of a party list.

Canonical URL: https://constitution.my/p/myth-kurultai-same-as-mazhilis?lang=en
Language: en
Updated: 2026-07-26

Section: Myths

## Myth
“The Kurultai is just the Mazhilis with a new label.”

## Fact
The new model changes not the signboard, but **the entire parliamentary architecture**.

## What Changes in Substance
- The **Senate is abolished** – the bicameral model disappears.
- **Presidential appointments are removed** – there are no more appointed Senate seats.
- The **election system changes** – the Kurultai is formed under a new model.
- The **threshold rises** from **5% to 7%**.
- Women, young people, and persons with disabilities must jointly make up **at least 30% of a party list**.

## Why the Myth Appears
From a distance it may look as though only the name changed because parliament still passes laws. But the structure, formation process, and logic of representation are all different.

## Conclusion
The Kurultai is not “the same Mazhilis,” but a new constitutional model of parliament.

## Checked sources

- [Official publication of the 2026 Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan](https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2600000000) – Adilet Legal Information System (checked 2026-07-16)
- [Constitutional Law on the Kurultai of the Republic of Kazakhstan](https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/Z2600000297) – Adilet Legal Information System (checked 2026-07-16)
- [Results of the nomination stage for Kurultai candidates](https://www.election.gov.kz/rus/news/releases/index.php?ID=10290) – Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan (checked 2026-07-16)

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Source: https://constitution.my/p/myth-kurultai-same-as-mazhilis?lang=en
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