President Tokayev’s Address to Nation Opens New Political Milestone in Kazakhstan’s History

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President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev

Erlan Karin

Another Presidential Address opens a new political milestone in the country’s history. The head of state sets qualitatively different standards for the power system. It is transparent in adopting the most important political decisions, constant renewal, and open competition.

The President’s decision to make the entire electoral schedule public is an unprecedented step in Kazakhstan’s political practice.

The launch of the entire election cycle is conditioned by the need for a radical reboot of our political system. It is consistent with the rationale of the constitutional reform supported by most citizens in the June referendum.

The consecutive holding of presidential elections followed by the election of deputies of the Mazhilis (the lower chamber of the Parliament) and maslikhats (local representative bodies) will allow focus on the solution of urgent and strategic tasks in the socio-economic development of the country. In other words, the accumulated rhythm of the country’s modernization will not be disturbed.

The growing geostrategic tensions and turbulence in the world economy are strong factors in favor of holding early elections. The unpredictability of the dynamics of world processes multiplies the risks and challenges not only for individual states but for entire regions.

Another major initiative of yesterday’s address is the head of state’s proposal to limit the presidential mandate to a single term of seven years without the right to re-election.

This proposal is a thoroughly considered decision, which, if approved by the Parliament, will determine the future of Kazakhstan’s political system.

In this case, the election of one person as President for only one seven-year term is a political innovation, which now has no precedent in Kazakhstan’s near and distant surroundings. The norm of a one-time presidency is primarily aimed at the long-term stabilization of the political system, eliminating the risks of power monopolization and strengthening the basic principles of democracy.

The initiative for a single presidential term is a logical progression of steps already taken to move away from the super-presidential model finally.

These include the non-partisanship of the head of state, the ban on his relatives holding positions in government agencies and state-owned companies, and the redistribution of some presidential powers in favor of other institutions of power. The introduction of a single presidential term thus closes the process of institutionalizing a presidential republic with an optimal balance of power.

The initiative to hold early elections to the Mazhilis and maslikhats of all levels in the first half of next year also comes from the rationale of the political modernization program.

Elections in single-mandate districts under a mixed electoral system will become an important factor in improving political culture in the country and a powerful tool for articulating the interests of citizens at the local level.

The electoral legislation will soon work according to new rules. The registration procedure for political parties will be simplified, which is already contributing to the emergence of new parties, new faces in politics, and increased political competition. And this trend is irreversible, with the deepening of political modernization it will only grow.

Renewal of representative bodies of power, new principles of Mazhilis and maslikhats formation are closely linked to the comprehensive transformation of the executive vertical – the government and akimats (administration). In the future, the government will include not only representatives of the party that won the most votes, but representatives of other parliamentary parties as well.

In general, all the political initiatives presented in the address comprehensively fill with real content the key formula of our nation-building “strong President – influential Parliament – accountable Government.” The new reform starts the electoral cycle, which will allow a restart of the entire political system.

*The writer is the State Counsellor of Kazakhstan. 

*The views expressed in this article are of the writer’s own and do not necessarily represent those of this publication or its staff.