Features of the legal (rule-of- law) state:

rules of law (supremacy of law),

supremacy of the constitution,

division of the powers (authorities),

increase of a role of the court,

the advanced civil society,

security of the rights and freedoms of citizens

3 Form of state – the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The Republic of Kazakhstan is a unitary state with a presidential form of government.  According to the Constitution, the state proclaims itself a democratic, secular, legal and social state whose highest values are an individual, his life, rights and freedoms.

Kazakhstan gained independence on December 16, 1991. The capital is the city of Astana. The state language is Kazakh. The Russian language has the status of a language of interethnic communication. Monetary unit - tenge.

The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the head of state, its highest official, who determines the main directions of the domestic and foreign policy of the state and represents Kazakhstan within the country and in international relations. The President is the symbol and guarantor of the unity of the people and the state power, inviolability of the Constitution, rights and freedoms of an individual and citizen.

The Government implements the executive power of the Republic of Kazakhstan, heads the system of executive bodies and exercises supervision of their activity.

Legislative functions are performed by the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which consists of two Chambers acting on a permanent basis: the Senate and the Majilis.

The Senate is composed of deputies represented in an order, established by the constitutional law, on two persons from each oblast, major city and the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Fifteen deputies of the Senate are appointed by the President of the Republic taking into account necessity of maintenance of representation for the Senate of national-cultural and other significant interests of a society. The Majilis consists of hundred seven deputies elected in an order, established by the constitutional law. Nine deputies of the Majilis are elected by the Assembly of the people of Kazakhstan. Term of the powers of Senate deputies is six years; term of the powers of the Majilis deputies is five years. Currently three parties are presented in the Mazhilis – “NurOtan” People's Democratic Party, “Akzhol” Democratic Party of Kazakhstan and Communist People’s Party of Kazakhstan.

By its administrative-territorial structure the country is divided into 14 regions and 2 cities of republican significance:

• Astana - the city of republican significance – the capital of Kazakhstan

• Almaty - the city of republican significance

• Akmola region

• Aktobe region

• Almaty region

• Atyrau region

• East Kazakhstan region

• Zhambyl region

• West Kazakhstan region

• Karagandy region

• Kostanay region

• Kyzylorda region

• Mangystau region

• Pavlodar region

• North Kazakhstan region

• South Kazakhstan region

The population of Kazakhstan as of June 1, 2012 was 16 million 760 thousand people. According to the national census the ethnic structure of the Kazakhstan society by 2009 looks as follows:

• Kazakhs - 63,07 %

• Russians - 23,70 %

• Uzbeks - 2,85 %

• Ukrainians - 2,08 %

• Uygurs - 1,40 %

• Tatars - 1,28 %

• Germans - 1,11 %

• Others - 4,51 %

Kazakhstan is located in the centre of the Eurasian continent. Its territory is as large as 2 million 724,9 thousand square kilometers and accordingly it occupies the ninth place in the world by its size. In the North and West the republic has common borders with Russia - 7 591 km (the longest continuous overland border in the world), in the East with China - 1 783 km, in the South with Kyrgyzstan - 1 242 km, with Uzbekistan - 2 351 km and with Turkmenistan - 426 km. The total length of overland borders - 13 200 km. Besides that, there are two midland seas in its territory – the Caspian and Aral. Kazakhstan is the largest country in the world that has no direct access to the World ocean.

The Flag of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The Flag is one of the main symbols of the state that represents its sovereignty and identity. The Russian term “flag” for Flag comes from the Dutch word “Vlag” and means cloth of officially adopted size and colour and commonly with an image of emblem (coat of arms).   

The Flag of sovereign Kazakhstan was officially adopted in 1992. It was designed by Shaken Niyazbekov.

The State Flag of the Republic of Kazakhstan is a rectangular breadth of blue colour with the image of the sun in its center with a soaring steppe eagle underneath. Along the flagstaff there is a vertical band with the national ornamental patterns. The images of the sun, rays, eagle and ornament are of golden colour. The ratio of the Flag’s width to its length: 1:2.

In heraldry each colour has its own specific meaning. Thus, a blue-sky colour symbolizes honesty, fidelity and integrity. Moreover, the blue-sky colour has a deep symbolic meaning in Turkic culture. The ancient Turkic peoples always worship the Sky as their God, and their blue-sky banner symbolized devotion to Father Ancestor. The blue colour of the State Flag of Kazakhstan means pure sky, peace and prosperity, and self-colour of the background represents the unity of our country.

According to the heraldic principles the sun symbolizes wealth and abundance, life and energy. That is why the sun rays on the flag have the form of grain, a symbol of wealth and welfare. By representing the sun at its state attributes Kazakhstan reaffirms its commitment to universal values, which also indicates that the new young country is full of life-affirming energy and is open to all countries for cooperation.           

The image of the steppe eagle is one of the main heraldic attributes which is used on coat of arms and flags of various peoples for centuries. This image is commonly considered as a symbol of power, insight and generosity. A soaring steppe eagle represents by itself a power of the state, its sovereignty and independence, aspiration to high goals and sustainable future. The image of the steppe eagle on the world outlook of Eurasian nomads has a special place and is associated with such notions as freedom and fidelity, sense of dignity and courage, strength and purity of thoughts. The symbolically rendered silhouette of the golden steppe eagle reflects aspiration of the young sovereign state to the heights of world civilization.

Another important element of the State Flag is a vertical band with the national ornamental patterns. This Kazakh ornament is one of the forms of specific artistic perception of world in strict accordance with aesthetic styles of the people. Representing a harmony of various forms and lines, it is also an expressive means of discovery of the inner world of the people. The national ornament along the flagstaff represents the art and cultural traditions of the people of Kazakhstan.

The Emblem of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The Emblem is one of the main symbols of the state. The Russian term “gerb” for Emblem comes from the German word “Erbe” (legacy) and means hereditary distinctive sign that represents a combination of figures and objects to which a symbolic sense reflecting cultural and historical traditions of the state is given.    

The history is an evidence of the fact that the nomads of the Bronze Age that inhabited the territory of modern Kazakhstan identified themselves with a special symbol which is called totem. Its graphical expression further got the name “tamga”. This term has been for the first time used in the Turkic Khaganate.

The Emblem of the sovereign Kazakhstan was officially adopted in 1992. The authors of the State Emblem are Kazakhstan’s famous architects ZhandarbekMalibekov and Shot-AmanUalikhanov.  

The State Emblem of the Republic of Kazakhstan has the shape of a circle (wheel). It is a symbol of life and eternity that was especially valued among the nomads of the Great Steppes.

The central heraldic element of the State Emblem is the image of shanyrak (an arched cross-shaped top of the Kazakh yurt) against a sky blue background which irradiates uyks (supports or bearings of the yurt) in the form of sunrays to all sides. On both right and left of shanyrak there are images of mythical winged quarter horses. At the top of Emblem there is a volumetric five-pointed star. There is also the inscription “Kazakhstan” at the bottom of the Emblem. The images of shanyrak, uyks, and mythical horses, as well as the inscriptions “Kazakhstan”, have the colour of gold.

Shanyrak is a main backbone part of the yurt that resembles a blue sky. It is also one of the key elements of Kazakh family dwelling in the traditional culture of Eurasian nomads. The image of shanyrak on the State Emblem of the republic is a symbol of common home and common homeland of all people living in Kazakhstan. The stable development of Kazakhstan depends on welfare of each citizen just like the strength and stability of shanyrak depends on reliability of all its uyks.        

The winged mythical horses, tulpars, are the key heraldic element of the State Emblem. The image of the horse stands for such notions as bravery since time immemorial. The wings symbolize a centuries-old dream of multinational people of Kazakhstan to build a strong and prosperous nation. They represent pure thoughts and aspiration to successive and constructive development. The golden wings of racers also resemble golden sheaves of grain that are a sign of labor of the people of Kazakhstan and material welfare of the country.

In centuries past the horns are often used during ceremonial rites of nomads as well as a finial to their fighting banners. The images of heavenly grace, fertility of the earth and the military fortune in the form of various animals’ horns are always considered as integral parts in symbolic compositions of different peoples. Therefore, a winged horse with a horn of plenty is an important typological image which has deep semantic and historical roots. 

Another element on the coat of arms is a five-pointed star. This symbol is used by man from ancient times and represents constant aspiration of people to the light of truth and the pursuit of the sublime and eternal matter. The image of a star on the State Emblem reflects the dream of people to build a state open to all countries of the world for cooperation and partnership. Hearts and arms of the people of Kazakhstan are open to representatives from all five continents.

The primary colour of the State Emblem is the colour of gold, which serves as a symbol of wealth, justice and magnanimity. The colour of blue sky symbolizes a serene sky, peace and prosperity.