Jan 24, 2026
Speaking
at a meeting of the Constitutional Commission, Minister of Justice, Yerlan
Sarsembayev proposed enshrining special legal regimes for individual
territories in the Basic Law, Kazpravda.kz reports.
He
recalled that a presidential decree had already granted the city of Alatau the
status of a priority development city, and that this status would later be
formalized by a separate constitutional law. He stated that this approach would
institutionalize the mechanism and ensure legal predictability.
"It's
important to emphasize that a territory's special status, by its very nature,
represents an exception to the general legal framework. It is permissible only
if it has a direct constitutional basis, is clearly enshrined in law, and
strictly adheres to the principles of the rule of law. Therefore, establishing
the limits and conditions for the application of special regimes at the
constitutional level is of fundamental importance," the minister
emphasized.
According
to Sarsembaev, regulations governing special regimes must be strictly limited
in their objectives, content, instruments, and duration, and accompanied by
effective state oversight mechanisms.
"In
this case, the Constitution does not act as a source of preferences, but as a
guarantee that any deviations from the general legal regime will be targeted
and justified," he noted.