Karaganda Regional Mäslihat
The Karaganda Regional Mäslihat () is a unicameral legislative branch of the Karaganda Region formed in 1993 where it convenes in Karaganda. As a decision-making body, the Mäslihat adopts resolutions and measures for the region and elects its own Secretary of which is Serık Öteşov (Nur Otan). The Mäslihat has 38 members, who since 2021 have been elected through party-list proportional representation. Currently, the legislature is allocated among four parties with the Nur Otan (NO) controlling the majority of 29 seats followed by Ak Zhol Democratic Party (AJ), Auyl People's Democratic Patriotic Party (AUYL), and  People's Party of Kazakhstan (QHP) with each having three mandates to be parliamentary opposition to NO's majority. History. On 10 December 1993, the Law "On local representative and executive bodies of the Republic of Kazakhstan" was adopted by the Supreme Council, which made significant changes to the name and structure of local government bodies. The representative bodies began to be called mäslihats "(local assemblies)". Unlike the local councils whom existed prior and were formed at all levels of territorial administration, the members of the mäslihats were elected only in regions, districts and cities of regional and republican significance  and the capital. On 7 March 1994, elections to local representative bodies were held in Kazakhstan, which included the Karaganda Region where 45 constituencies were formed, and the corresponding number of members were elected. The 1st Session of the Regional Mäslihat of the 1st convocation took place on 30 March 1994. Serık Ağibaev was unanimously elected as the Mäslihat's Secretary. The members of the new representative body consisted of active supporters of the President Nursultan Nazarbayev over his course towards reforms and transformations. In May 1997, the Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On further measures  to improve the administrative-territorial structure of the Republic of Kazakhstan" was issued, in accordance with which the borders of the Karaganda Region were changed which included the Zhezkazgan Region. According to the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 19 June 1997 "On the system of local representative bodies in the context of changes in the administrative-territorial structure of the Republic of Kazakhstan", the members of the Regional Mäslihat of the former Zhezkazgan Region retained their powers and became members of the Karaganda Regional Mäslihat instead. Following the changes to the law in 2018, the elections for the  Mäslihat were held on 10 January 2021 where members for the first time were elected through party-list proportional representation. From there, the Nur Otan (NO) took 29 seats followed by three parties: Ak Zhol Democratic Party (AJ), Auyl People's Democratic Patriotic Party (AUYL), and People's Party of Kazakhstan (QHP) whom earned three seats each. At the opening session of the 7th convocation, Serık Öteşov (NO) was re-elected as the Secretary of the Mäslihat on 15 January. Elections. Mäslihat members are generally up for re-election every 5 years and are elected on the basis of party -list proportional representation with a required 7% electoral threshold to win any seats in the legislature. If only one parties manages to bypass the electoral threshold, then the party win the second highest number of votes is granted enough seats for representation in the mäslihat regardless whether it had passed the threshold or not. A member of the mäslihat may be a citizen of Kazakhstan who has reached 20 years of age and can be a member of only one mäslihat. Powers and functions. In accordance with the Article 20 of the Constitution of Kazakhstan "On local government and self -government in the Republic of Kazakhstan" Current composition. The last election for the Karaganda Regional Mäslihat was held on 10 January 2021.