Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev rejected calls for a switch to a parliamentary republic made by opposition activists at recent public protests, but promised to give the country's parliament a greater role.
"I am convinced that Kazakhstan must remain a presidential republic, but the parliament will assume a worthy role in the political system," Tokayev said at a meeting with opposition activists and public figures picked by his government to join a newly-established National Council of Public Confidence.
The Kazakh leader said he wanted to boost political competition by amending electoral laws and give the parliament a bigger say in major decisions, Reuters reported.
