PACE initiates motion for resolution about outcome of Constitutional Referendum in Kazakhstan
In the document entitled «The Parliamentary Assembly Should Support Kazakhstan to Continue Its Democratic Reforms,» the PACE members note «constitutional amendments adopted by the national referendum on 5 June 2022 meet Council of Europe standards,» the Kazakh MFA’s press service reports.
They urge the leadership of Kazakhstan to continue its political reform programme, aimed at strengthening the principles of democracy, freedom, and the rule of law.
«We support the transition from the super-presidential model to a presidential republic, the redistribution of several powers, the strengthening of the role and the enhancement of the status of Parliament, the participation of the population in the governance of the country and the strengthening of the mechanisms for the protection of the citizens’ rights,» the document reads.
Considering the progressive changes in Kazakhstan, deputies appeal the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe with a proposal to examine its ongoing and future relationship with Kazakhstan.
The motion for a resolution was signed by 22 PACE members from Poland, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Ukraine, including leaders of major political factions in the PACE such as the Group of the European People’s Party and the Group of the European Conservatives Group and the Democratic Alliance.
The Council of Europe (CoE) is an international organization whose mission is to promote cooperation between the European countries in the fields of legal standards, protection of human rights and freedoms, and the strengthening of democratic institutions. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) is a consultative body consisting of the representatives of legislative bodies of all its member states. Founded in 1949, the PACE is the oldest body for interparliamentary cooperation in Europe.
Kazakhstan has been cooperating with the CoE and its structures since 1997. Our country can participate in its partial extended agreements, which allow us to work together on the issues of mutual interest. Now Kazakhstan participates in two agreements (the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) and the Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) and four conventions, including the European Cultural Convention, through which Kazakhstan in 2010 joined the Bologna process and became the 47th (and first in Central Asia) full member of the European Higher Education Area.
Delegations of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan regularly participate in the plenary sessions of PACE in Strasbourg and its visiting sessions.