ALMATY, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed reforming the country's parliament into a unicameral body, the official Kazinform news agency reported on Monday.
In his annual address to the nation, Tokayev said public debate on merging the upper and the lower house would take at least a year, followed by a nationwide referendum in 2027.
The reform of the parliament will be a continuation of all previous reforms, including the reform of the presidential power, Tokayev added.
He also called for developing a program to preserve the Caspian Sea's water resources, warning that their decline could trigger a "large-scale environmental catastrophe."
Tokayev urged the government to enlist leading international companies in the program. ■