KZBlog

An American expat living in Astana, Kazakhstan

Tag archive for ‘Parliament’

  • Halloween is Not a Kazakh Tradition

    Zakon.kz is reporting that a member of Parliament has written a letter to the Prime Minister asking for a ban on Halloween [RU]. Kurmangali Uali wrote to Karim Massimov, the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan and to the Head of the KNB asking the government to actions to ban Halloween, citing the lack of roots in […]

    11/16/10 • (8)

  • “An individual must never forget those public forces that bestow trust upon him and support him.”

    Interfax has an interview with Yermukhamet Yertysbayev, advisor to the President and former Minister of Information and Culture, where he discusses the “Leader of the Nation” law. In the interview, Yertysbayev claimed that there was nothing unusual about the speed with which the law went through Parliament: Decisions of that kind are usually made very […]

    5/28/10 • (Comments Off on “An individual must never forget those public forces that bestow trust upon him and support him.”)

  • Leader of the Nation Law Passes Senate

    The Senate did not debate the amendments to the law that will give Nazarbayev the status of Leader of the Nation. The law now goes on to the President himself who can veto it or sign it into law–or send it to the Constitutional Council to ensure that the law is in accordance with the […]

    5/14/10 • (4)

  • Kazakhbashi Bill Passes Lower House

    The Lower House of Parliament, the Mazhilis has approved two laws that would title Nazarbayev “Leader of the Nation” and give him legal immunity. His property and the property of his family are also deemed inviolable according to KazInform. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty pointed out in an earlier article that Nazarbayev is already free from […]

    5/12/10 • (1)

  • Government Should Control Use of Kazakh

    Stop insulting Kenyans says Irak Yelekeyev, a member of the lower house of Kazakhstan’s Parliament. He noticed that his tea from Kenya said, in Russian, “Black Tea from Kenya” but in Kazakh it said Kara Kenya Chayi or Tea from Black Kenya! According to sources who were there, Yelekeyev went on to say that this […]

    5/04/10 • (2)

  • Baikanour, That’s a No-Go

    I’m just following up on an earlier post I made about Kazakhstan’s lease of Baikanour, the space center, to the Russians. After a Parliament session last week, it was decided that the price would not be raised and apparently getting Parliament’s approval of the new contract was not a difficult or controversial process. So I […]

    3/12/10 • (Comments Off on Baikanour, That’s a No-Go)

  • Internet ad absurdium

    As a protest against the new Internet media law currently under consideration in the Parliament of Kazakhstan, which would empower the government to block access to websites that “run counter to” the legislation of Kazakhstan” , an NGO has sent a draft law to Parliament proposing regulation of graffiti. Parodying the language of the law […]

    5/18/09 • (2)

  • Nationality Still Important in Kazakhstan

    Kazakhstan is in the process of introducing new passports with biometric data encoded in them. This is not newsworthy as many other countries are doing the same thing. To ensure that Kazakhstan citizens can freely travel around the world, the introduction of biometric passports is necessary. What is interesting is that the new passports will […]

    1/21/09 • (Comments Off on Nationality Still Important in Kazakhstan)

  • New Law on Religion: Point/Counterpoint

    The controversial new law on religion which passed Parliament is waiting for the President’s signature. The law will outlaw unregistered religious activity, and increase the requirements for registering religions. It also appears to exclude small religious groups and mandates government approval of all religious texts. The law is clearly created defensively to prevent cult-like activity […]

    12/23/08 • (1)

  • Astana to be Renamed Nursultan?

    Among the amendments and laws discussed in Parliament this week [RU], the most interesting and entertaining was a proposal by member of Parliament Sat Tokpakbayev to rename the capital city to Nursultan in honor of the President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, and his role in not only running the nation but also building the city of Astana […]

    6/08/08 • (Comments Off on Astana to be Renamed Nursultan?)