The FBRK editorial team has learned that allegedly many deputies of the Majilis of the Republic of Kazakhstan are refusing to live in the provided official apartments because they are "worn out and poorly maintained".
To find out if this is actually the case, we sent an official request to the Majilis of Parliament asking for information on how many deputies use the official apartments and how many elected representatives refused the provided accommodation.
In accordance with the constitutional Law "On the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Status of its Deputies", deputies from other cities are provided with well-appointed and furnished housing from the state housing fund for the duration of their term of office on a gratuitous use basis.
According to the Committee on Legislation and Judicial-Legal Reform, "official apartments have been provided to 79 current deputies". But on the main question of whether any of the deputies refused the provided housing, the Majilis, in a bureaucratic manner, remained silent.
It is known that the Majilis of the Parliament of the VIII convocation consists of 98 deputies. It is easy to calculate that 19 of them are either residents of Astana or have indeed refused the official apartments. Possibly, the Majilis simply does not monitor whether the elected representatives are using the housing provided to them.
In May 2023, a deputy of the new convocation and head of the Pavlodar regional branch and women's wing of the Nationwide Social Democratic Party (OSDP), Azhar Sagandykova, told journalists about her official apartment.
"We have official housing near the parliament. This is right and proper; it takes me 3-5 minutes to walk to the parliament. <…> Many people talk about our housing. We have a standard capital city apartment. <…> It is furnished; all the tables and all the furniture have inventory numbers. None of this belongs to us. When the convocation changes – we will leave and the apartment will remain with everything that is in it", Sagandykova shared.
She stated that the square footage of the official apartment depends on the number of family members. To this end, an application is submitted in advance, stating how many people intend to live in the housing provided to the deputy.
According to Sagandykova, the deputies from the previous convocation continued living in their former apartments, while housing among the newly elected members was distributed by means of a ballot.
The deputy also noted that the elected representatives pay for utility services from their own funds. Sagandykova also dispelled the myth about free meals for deputies.
"There is a prevailing opinion that deputies are fed for free. No, that is not true. We have a canteen where we can have lunch, dinner, etc., but we pay for it. <…> Therefore, the idea that everything is very cheap, and that we are fed practically for free – that is not true. We pay just like everyone else", stated the representative of the OSDP.
In the lower house of parliament, we were also informed that vehicle servicing for deputies is provided within the capital. As with officials, the deputies' workplaces are equipped with furniture and other office equipment.
However, no additional requirements for the service and provision of Majilis deputies are provided for by current legislation, the governmental body noted.