# How Citizen Appeals and Petitions Differ

> Article 35 of the Constitution preserves the right to submit individual and collective appeals. Petitions are governed by Chapter 12-1 of the Administrative Procedural Code: they are a separate process for addressing public and local authorities, not a direct citizen right to introduce bills in the Kurultai.

Canonical URL: https://constitution.my/p/petitions?lang=en
Language: en
Updated: 2026-07-26

Section: Civic Participation

## What the Constitution guarantees

Article 35 guarantees the right to submit individual and collective appeals to state bodies and local self-government bodies. This is the basic constitutional guarantee for communicating with public authorities.

Article 60 separately names the holders of legislative initiative: the President, Kurultai deputies, the Government, and the People's Council. Citizens are not directly included in that list.

## How petitions are governed

The petition process is established not by a separate constitutional rule, but by **Chapter 12-1 of the Administrative Procedural Code**.

- a draft petition is submitted through a state-designated internet resource or in writing;
- at least **50 citizens must join within 20 working days** before the draft is made publicly available;
- after publication, support may be collected for up to six months;
- the threshold depends on the addressee: **50,000 votes** are required for a matter within a central state body's competence, while different thresholds apply locally;
- a supported petition is reviewed within **40 working days** at central level and **20 working days** at local level;
- the final decision must give reasons and be published on the internet resource.

## What should not be confused

A petition may trigger review by the competent authority and a public, reasoned decision. It does not automatically become a bill and does not create a separate citizen right of legislative initiative.

[Administrative Procedural Code, Chapter 12-1: Articles 90-1–90-6](https://adilet.zan.kz/eng/docs/K2000000350#z1470)

## Key Facts

- The Constitution guarantees individual and collective appeals
- Articles 90-1–90-6 of the Administrative Procedural Code govern petitions
- A draft first needs 50 citizens for public placement; later thresholds depend on the addressee
- A petition is not a direct citizen legislative initiative

## 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)
- [Administrative Procedural Code of Kazakhstan, Chapter 12-1 on petitions](https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2000000350#z1470) – Adilet Legal Information System (checked 2026-07-16)

---
Source: https://constitution.my/p/petitions?lang=en
© 2026 Constitution.my – informational resource, not an official legal source