Monday, March 27, 2023
 
 

Kazakhstan’s Tokayev unveils major political and socio-economic reforms

- Advertisement -

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev unveiled on March 16 a large-scale program of political reforms and several socio-economic measures to be implemented soon. The aim of the reforms is to transform the political system and administrative-territorial structure of the country. According Tokayev, more than 30 amendments will be made to the Constitution for their implementation.

In his State-of-the-Nation Address to the people of Kazakhstan “New Kazakhstan: Path of Renewal and Modernization” at the joint session of the Houses of Parliament, following the tragic events of January, Tokayev pointed out the importance of revizing the powers of the President with a transition from a super-presidential system to a presidential republic with a strong Parliament. In particular, it was proposed to legislate the commitment of the Head of State to terminate membership in the party for the period of his powers, and to prohibit Akims and their deputies to hold positions in the party branches.

Encouraging investment, large-scale political reforms will also be made in the administrative-territorial structure of the country. Tokayev proposed the creation of Abai and Ulytau regions, with their regional centers in the cities of Semey and Zhezkazgan, respectively. He also announced his decision to divide the Almaty region into two new ones: the Almaty region centered in Kapshagai and the Zhetysu region centered in Taldykorgan.

In addition, the Kazakh President announced the necessity to constitutionally fix a norm concerning the nearest relatives of the Head of State. A legislative ban was proposed on their appointment as top-level civil servants and managers in the quasi-state sector.

Furthermore, political reforms will affect the legislative branch of power. The process of formation and a number of functions of the Senate will be revised. Kazakhstan’s leader proposed reducing the presidential quota in the upper house of the Parliament (the Senate) from 15 to 10 deputies. Moreover, the quota of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan in the Mazhilis will be transferred to the Senate and reduced from 9 to 5 deputies.

The program of political reforms also provides for the improvement of the electoral system, modernization of the electoral process, and expansion of opportunities for development of the party system. The deputies’ corps of the Mazhilis will be formed on a mixed scheme – 70% of deputies will be elected on a proportional basis, 30% – on a majoritarian one. Party registration procedures will be considerably simplified. The registration threshold is to be reduced fourfold – from 20,000 to 5,000 people.

Tokayev also focused on strengthening the role of human rights institutions, increasing the competitiveness of the media and strengthening the role of civil society institutions. In order to ensure that the provisions of the Basic Law are strictly observed, he instructed to create a Constitutional Court. The President also proposed the establishment of a National Kurultai to replace the National Council of Public Trust, which has successfully fulfilled its mission.

A separate part of the Address was devoted to the priority of anti-crisis measures with a focus on tackling socio-economic issues, including ensuring the stability of the national currency, increasing the sales of foreign exchange earnings by companies with state participation, and de-bureaucratization of the state apparatus.

According to Tokayev, final abolition of the death penalty to be excluded from the constitution.

“The course of building a New Kazakhstan is based on the need to ensure fair and free political competition,” Tokayev said. “Political transformation is aimed at creating fair and just ‘rules of the game’, eliminating favouritism and monopolies in all spheres of life. We have a clear vision of the future and the contours of New Kazakhstan – an effective state with a strong civil society,” he added.

Acknowledging that the January 2022 events have damaged Kazakhstan international reputation, Tokayev said now is the time to build the unity in the community.

He stressed that the management system that focused on the over-concentration of powers has already lost its effectiveness.

“I firmly believe that our country still needs fundamental reforms,” he said, adding, “The people do not need abstract ideas and promises, but tangible changes for the better”. He said the main goal of political modernisation is to increase the participation of citizens in state management.

Justin Urquhart Stewart, co-founder of UK Regional Investment Platform Regionally in London, told NE Global by phone on March 16 that Kazakhstan’s reforms, including recreating three provinces that were merged with other regions in the 1990s, will help increase investment in the Central Asian country. “Basically, what you are seeing is the ability to raise money for new businesses. But using this hub to encourage more investment, if it’s successful you have more money coming in and that’s how therefore you get a stronger position of your overall trade and you are not dependent on one party or one grouping,” Urquhart Stewart said.

“They must see themselves, design themselves to look like a good place to invest. Now that’s fine except you have a reputation of being the Wild West or the Wild East where people do not trust what is going on. So that’s one thing to go through the process have people say like in Kazakhstan or wherever it happens to be, ‘We’ll have an Internet hotspot there’, like as we call them in Britain a Silicon Roundabout, Kazakhstan can try and do that, but you have to have the credibility and at the moment it’s either the rule of law or confidence that the economy is going to grow. That’s going to be the difficulty.”

- Advertisement -

Subscribe to our newsletter

Co-founder / Director of Energy & Climate Policy and Security at NE Global Media

Latest

Africa’s porous borders promote transnational crimes rather than deeper integration

For positive continental regimes to succeed, there must be both conscious and concerted efforts, as well as political will, from all states to help eliminate transnational crimes while fostering integration across the whole of Africa through trade.

Kazakhstan’s new parliament could usher in green energy, rare earth investments

Kazakhstan held internationally monitored elections for the Mazhilis, the...

EU-Turkey earthquake relief conference: Time to get serious

The European Union is hosting a reconstruction conference in...

Cambodia’s current government is the face of tropical Fascism

There is no hope that the authoritarianism that the world sees in places like Russia, China and Cambodia can ever be interpreted as a peaceful and benign phenomenon, or that it should be accepted by an implicit racist or discriminatory assumption that some cultures just don’t have a democratic tradition and aren’t quite capable of ever developing one.

Don't miss

Africa’s porous borders promote transnational crimes rather than deeper integration

For positive continental regimes to succeed, there must be both conscious and concerted efforts, as well as political will, from all states to help eliminate transnational crimes while fostering integration across the whole of Africa through trade.

Kazakhstan’s new parliament could usher in green energy, rare earth investments

Kazakhstan held internationally monitored elections for the Mazhilis, the...

EU-Turkey earthquake relief conference: Time to get serious

The European Union is hosting a reconstruction conference in...

Cambodia’s current government is the face of tropical Fascism

There is no hope that the authoritarianism that the world sees in places like Russia, China and Cambodia can ever be interpreted as a peaceful and benign phenomenon, or that it should be accepted by an implicit racist or discriminatory assumption that some cultures just don’t have a democratic tradition and aren’t quite capable of ever developing one.

Energy supply diversification out of Russia’s orbit is a top priority for Bulgaria

Bulgaria intends to diversify its energy resources, including supplying...

Kazakhstan’s new parliament could usher in green energy, rare earth investments

Kazakhstan held internationally monitored elections for the Mazhilis, the lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, on March 19, following major constitutional reforms, which most...

Pope Francis to visit Kazakhstan in September

Pope Francis has confirmed his official visit to Kazakhstan and participation in the VII Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions, Kazakhstan's presidential...

Standard & Poor’s reaffirms sovereign credit rating of Kazakhstan

The international rating agency Standard & Poor's confirmed on April 2 the sovereign credit rating of Kazakhstan at BBB-/A-3, with a stable outlook.According to...

Kazakhstan continues probe in January’s unrest

More than 4,000 people were injured during the January unrest in Kazakhstan, including 3,500 security officers involved in maintaining public order, 230 people died,...

Italy’s ENI inaugurates its second wind farm in Kazakhstan

Italian energy major ENI, through its local renewable subsidiary Arm Wind LLP, inaugurated on March 2 the Badamsha 2 Wind Farm located in the...

Kazakhstan to enhance foreign investment

Kazakhstan’s open-door policy to foreign investment remains the Central Asian republic’s strategic priority, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev told the Foreign Investor Council’s Meeting on February...

EU to support Kazakhstan’s modernization

At a meeting of Kazakhstan’s Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi with ambassadors from EU Member States, the diplomats reiterated their interest in...

Experts in Kazakhstan address global and regional trends of terrorism

At the International Conference "Global and Regional Trends of Terrorism and Violent extremism" in Nur-Sultan on February 11, Kazakhstan’s Secretary of State Yerlan Karin...