Nazarbayev satisfied with operation of three-party parliament
ASTANA. Sept 3 (Interfax) - Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev is satisfied with the concerted work of the three-party parliament.
"I must say that the current three-party model of parliament won a good reputation during the previous session. During the first session it passed 36 bills," he said in Astana on Monday opening the second session of parliament.
"On all of them political and legal consensus was reached between the government and all party factions and groups," he said.
This businesslike atmosphere should become the distinctive feature of the second session of parliament as well, he said.
The parliament in Kazakhstan has two chambers - the Senate and Mazhilis.
Out of the 107 members of the Mazhilis 98 were elected by direct ballot in early general elections on January 15, 2012 when the Nur Otan party won 83 seats, Ak Zhol - eight and the Communist Party - seven. Nine more deputies were delegated to the lower house by the Assembly of the Peoples of Kazakhstan on January 16.
There are 47 Senators 32 of whom were elected by meetings of electors in each of the 16 regions of the country. The remaining 15 Senators were appointed by the president.
