From public apologies to loss of salary: what Kurultai deputies can be punished for

Tengrinews.kz – On September 10, the first plenary session of Kurultai deputies was held. After it ended, a briefing was held for media representatives. During the briefing, officials explained what actions by deputies would be considered violations of professional ethics and what disciplinary measures are provided for such cases. This was reported by Deputy Chair of the Kurultai Daniya Yespayeva.
Yespayeva explained that violations would include, in particular, unjustified remarks directed at speakers, as well as insults affecting the honor and dignity of deputies or other individuals.
According to Daniya Yespayeva, the requirements of deputy ethics apply not only to Kurultai sessions, the work of deputy groups and other bodies, but also to deputies’ conduct outside the Kurultai.
Separate requirements have also been established for deputies’ communication with media representatives. In their speeches, responses and interviews, deputies must provide verified and reliable information.

“Simply saying that something is not being carried out somewhere, or citing certain facts that are not reliable, will also be considered a violation of deputy ethics,” Deputy Chair of the Kurultai Daniya Yespayeva noted.

From public apologies to loss of salary
A Council on Deputy Ethics will be created in the Kurultai to review complaints about violations. According to Yespayeva, it will consider appeals from both individuals and legal entities, as well as carry out explanatory work.
The regulations of the Council on Deputy Ethics were adopted the day before. The document provides for several types of disciplinary measures for deputies who violate ethical standards.
In particular, a deputy may be reprimanded or required to publicly apologize. A ban on speaking at one Kurultai session is also provided for, while a stricter measure would ban a deputy from speaking at three sessions.
In addition, the law itself provides for the possibility of removing a deputy from one or three Kurultai sessions. The strictest of the listed disciplinary measures is the loss of one day’s salary.
At the same time, the final decision on an appeal is not made by the Council on Deputy Ethics itself. The council reviews the violation and issues the corresponding decision, after which the matter is considered at the level of a Kurultai session.
Yespayeva also stressed that the council will not only review violations, but also conduct explanatory work. She explained this by noting that the current composition of the Kurultai has been renewed by about 70–80 percent, and for many deputies, the rules of work are new.
Journalists also asked deputy Snezhanna Imasheva about a case in which a deputy used session time to offer congratulations, and clarified whether the violation was the congratulation itself or the use of session time for that purpose.
Imasheva referred to paragraph 274, subparagraph 5, of the Kurultai regulations. According to this provision, a deputy must not obstruct normal work or use speeches at Kurultai sessions, as well as at meetings of its working and advisory bodies, for personal or other appeals unrelated to the exercise of deputy powers.
According to her, such a provision had not previously existed in the Mazhilis regulations, but it was included in the new document based on accumulated experience.

“Nothing personal may be said from the rostrum, only matters in accordance with the powers that exist,” Imasheva said.

Journalists also asked Imasheva whether a deputy could be stripped of their mandate for serious violations of ethical standards.

“Deputies can be stripped of their mandate, but the decision on this issue is made by the party. For this, a corresponding resolution must also be issued by the commission of the Kurultai Council on Deputy Ethics,” she replied.