Photo: Press service of the President of Kazakhstan

BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 23. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has proposed Yerlan Koshanov, ex-Chairman of the Mazhilis, for the post of Chairman of Kazakhstan’s Khalyk Kenesi (People’s Council), speaking at the council’s first session in Astana on September 23.

The announcement was made by the presidential press service.

Meanwhile, Koshanov, born in 1962, has held a number of senior positions in Kazakhstan’s government and parliament.

He served as a member of the Senate from 1996 to 1999 and later as the government’s representative in Parliament and deputy head of the Prime Minister’s Office.

From 2003 to 2007, Koshanov served as Vice Minister of Transport and Communications and Chairman of the Civil Aviation Committee.

He headed the Office of the Prime Minister from 2012 to 2017 and served as akim (governor) of Karaganda Region from 2017 to 2019.

From September 2019 to February 2022, Koshanov was Head of the Presidential Administration. Koshanov has been a member of Kazakhstan’s National Kurultai since June 2022.

He served as Chairman of the Mazhilis, the lower house of Kazakhstan’s Parliament, from February 2022 to July 2026.

The first session of the Khalyk Kenesi is being held in Astana on September 23-24. The council comprises 126 representatives of public councils and associations, maslikhats, ethnic and cultural organizations, trade unions, business, science, education, culture, sports and media, as well as public figures and representatives of the non-governmental sector.

The establishment of the Khalyk Kenesi is provided for by Kazakhstan’s new Constitution, which entered into force on July 1, 2026. The council is a constitutional consultative body representing the interests of the people and is tasked with facilitating nationwide dialogue and preparing proposals and recommendations on domestic policy.