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PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF THE ROLE OF PARLIAMENTS IN MODERN DEMOCRACIES: ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRUST IN PARLIAMENT IN KAZAKHSTAN

1. Introduction. – 2. The Development of Parliamentarism in Kazakhstan. – 3. Literature Review. – 4. Methodology. – 5. Findings and Discussion. – 6. Conclusions.

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  Background: In democratic societies governed by the rule of law, parliament plays a crucial

role by passing laws, holding the government accountable, expressing the will of the people, and
cooperating with local communities. However, the role of the legislative branch may vary
significantly depending on the political system of individual countries. Kazakhstan serves as a
case study of how the presidency and executive branch control the country's political life, and
the role of parliament is not yet fully defined, undergoing a process of transformation.
Therefore, it is crucial to understand people's perceptions of the role of parliament in the
context of reforms aimed at deepening the democratisation of society.
Methods: This study employs a quantitative research approach to examine public attitudes
towards Parliament, focusing on accountability and public trust. A survey conducted among
598 respondents resulted in an accurate representation of public opinion. The study aims to
assess trust in governmental entities, including Parliament; the perception of the authorities'
responsibility for Kazakhstan's socio-economic situation; and satisfaction with the current
Parliament's performance and the laws it has passed. The data were analysed using
descriptive statistics.
Results and conclusion: The findings indicate that public trust in the legislative body in
Kazakhstan is significantly lower than in the executive branch. According to the findings,
Parliament is perceived as having limited autonomy and influence in socio-economic
governance. Most respondents believe that the President and the government shape important
national decisions. The study further revealed that most respondents believe that
parliamentarians tend to represent the interests of the government or their political parties
rather than those of the voters. The findings also highlighted a substantial gap between 
lawmakers and the public, with many respondents not even knowing who their parliamentary
representatives are. These findings underscore the urgent need for reforms that improve
parliamentary oversight, legislative independence, and public communication. The study is
especially important in light of the government's broader commitment to the "Listening State"
initiative, which aims to increase public involvement in governance and decision-making.

Abstract

 Background: In democratic societies governed by the rule of law, parliament plays a crucial

role by passing laws, holding the government accountable, expressing the will of the people, and
cooperating with local communities. However, the role of the legislative branch may vary
significantly depending on the political system of individual countries. Kazakhstan serves as a
case study of how the presidency and executive branch control the country's political life, and
the role of parliament is not yet fully defined, undergoing a process of transformation.
Therefore, it is crucial to understand people's perceptions of the role of parliament in the
context of reforms aimed at deepening the democratisation of society.
Methods: This study employs a quantitative research approach to examine public attitudes
towards Parliament, focusing on accountability and public trust. A survey conducted among
598 respondents resulted in an accurate representation of public opinion. The study aims to
assess trust in governmental entities, including Parliament; the perception of the authorities'
responsibility for Kazakhstan's socio-economic situation; and satisfaction with the current
Parliament's performance and the laws it has passed. The data were analysed using
descriptive statistics.
Results and conclusion: The findings indicate that public trust in the legislative body in
Kazakhstan is significantly lower than in the executive branch. According to the findings,
Parliament is perceived as having limited autonomy and influence in socio-economic
governance. Most respondents believe that the President and the government shape important
national decisions. The study further revealed that most respondents believe that
parliamentarians tend to represent the interests of the government or their political parties
rather than those of the voters. The findings also highlighted a substantial gap between 
lawmakers and the public, with many respondents not even knowing who their parliamentary
representatives are. These findings underscore the urgent need for reforms that improve
parliamentary oversight, legislative independence, and public communication. The study is
especially important in light of the government's broader commitment to the "Listening State"
initiative, which aims to increase public involvement in governance and decision-making.

About Authors

 Arnat Ultanbayev

PhD (Law), Associate Professor, Department of Criminal Law and Process, Faculty of Law,
M. Kh. Dulaty Taraz University, Taraz, Kazakhstan
ab.ultanbayev@dulaty.kz
Co-author, responsible for conceptualization, formal analysis, validation, writing-original draft.
 
Mukhtar Tolegen
PhD (Law), Full Professor, Rector, Sarsen Amanzholov East Kazakhstan State University,
Oskemen, Kazakhstan
rector@vkgu.kz
 
Co-author, responsible for research methodology, data curation, investigation, writing-
original draft.
 
Indira Smailova
PhD (Law), Associate Professor, Department of Jurisprudence, Sarsen Amanzholov East
Kazakhstan State University, Oskemen, Kazakhstan
smailova@vkgu.kz
 
Co-author, responsible for research methodology, data curation, investigation, writing-
original draft.
Aizhan Kozhakhmetova
Master of Law, Department of Civil Law and Process, M. Kh. Dulaty Taraz University, Taraz,
Kazakhstan
aa.kozhakhmetova@dulaty.kz
 
Co-author, responsible for research methodology, data curation, investigation, writing-
original draft.
 
Arai Abilmazhina
Master of Law, Department of Jurisprudence, Sarsen Amanzholov East Kazakhstan State
University, Oskemen, Kazakhstan
abilmazhina@vkgu.kz
 
Co-author, responsible for research methodology, data curation, investigation, writing-
original draft.
 
Askar Sharapatov
PhD (Law), Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, L.N.Gumilyov Eurasian National
University, Astana, Kazakhstan
sharapatov1404@gmail.com
Corresponding author, responsible for research methodology, data curation,
investigation, writing-original draft.
 
Competing interests: No competing interests were disclosed.
 
Disclaimer: The authors declare that their opinion and views expressed in this manuscript
are free of any impact of any organizations.

Copyright: © 2025 Arnat Ultanbayev, Mukhtar Tolegen, Indira Smailova, Aizhan
Kozhakhmetova, Arai Abilmazhina and Askar Sharapatov. This is an open access article
distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, (CC BY 4.0),
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided
the original author and source are credited.

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АНОТАЦІЯ УКРАЇНСЬКОЮ МОВОЮ

Дослідницька стаття

СПРИЙНЯТТЯ ГРОМАДСЬКІСТЮ РОЛІ ПАРЛАМЕНТІВ У СУЧАСНИХ ДЕМОКРАТІЯХ: ПІДЗВІТНІСТЬ ТА ДОВІРА ДО ПАРЛАМЕНТУ В КАЗАХСТАНІ

АНОТАЦІЯ

 Вступ. У демократичних суспільствах, що керуються верховенством права, парламент

відіграє вирішальну роль, адже парламент приймає закони, забезпечує підзвітність уряду,

виражає волю народу та співпрацює з місцевими громадами. Однак роль законодавчої гілки

влади може суттєво відрізнятися залежно від політичної системи окремих країн.

Казахстан є прикладом того, як президент і виконавча влада контролюють політичне

життя країни, а роль парламенту ще не до кінця визначена і перебуває в процесі

трансформації. Тому вкрай важливо зрозуміти сприйняття людьми ролі парламенту в

контексті реформ, спрямованих на поглиблення демократизації суспільства.

Методи. У цьому дослідженні було застосовано кількісний підхід для того, щоб вивчити

ставлення громадськості до парламенту, увагу було зосереджено на підзвітності та

довірі. Опитування, проведене серед 598 респондентів, дало точне відображення

громадської думки. Мета статті – оцінити довіру до державних органів, зокрема до

парламенту, сприйняття відповідальності влади за соціально-економічну ситуацію в

Казахстані, а також визначити чи задоволена громадськість роботою нинішнього

парламенту та прийнятими ним законами. Дані були проаналізовані за допомогою

методів описової статистики.

Результати та висновки. Результати дослідження свідчать про те, що довіра громадськості

до законодавчого органу в Казахстані значно нижча, ніж до виконавчої гілки влади. Згідно з

результатами, парламент сприймається як такий, що має обмежену автономію та вплив у

соціально-економічному управлінні. Більшість респондентів вважають, що президент та уряд

формують важливі державні рішення. У роботі було також показано, що більшість

респондентів вважають, що парламентарі схильні представляти інтереси уряду або своїх

політичних партій, а не виборців. Результати дослідження також висвітлили суттєвий

розрив між законодавцями та громадськістю, оскільки багато респондентів навіть не знають,

хто є їхніми представниками в парламенті. Ці результати підкреслюють нагальну потребу в

реформах, які покращують парламентський нагляд, законодавчу незалежність та комунікації

з громадськістю. Ця стаття є особливо важливою з огляду на ширші зобов'язання уряду щодо

ініціативи «Держава, що слухає», метою якої є розширення участі громадськості в управлінні

та прийнятті рішень.

Ключові слова: парламент, Казахстан, громадська довіра, політична підзвітність,

реформа управління.

Keywords

  • parliament, Kazakhstan, public trust, political accountability, governance reform.

Publication history

  •  Date of submission: 08 Feb 2025

    Date of acceptance: 31 Mar 2025

    Online First publication: 12 Jun 2025

    Last publication:

    Whether the manuscript was fast tracked? - No

    Number of reviewer report submitted in first round: 2 reports

    Number of revision rounds: 1 round, last revised version submitted 27 Mar 2024

    Technical tools were used in the editorial process
     

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How to cite it?

  •  Ultanbayev A, Tolegen M, Smailova I, Kozhakhmetova A, Abilmazhina A and Sharapatov A, ‘Public Perceptions of the Role of Parliaments in Modern Democracies: Accountability and Trust an Parliament in Kazakhstan’ (2025) 8(3) Access to Justice in Eastern Europe 1-24. https://doi.org/10.33327/AJEE-18-8.3-a000102. Published Online 12 Jun 2025.