Expert: Political reform of Kazakhstan lines up with OECD guidelines

ASTANA. KAZINFORM Head of Eurasia Division of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development Global Relations Secretariat (OECD GRS) William Tompson has commented on the constitutional reform in Kazakhstan.    

 “The proposals on constitutional reform suggested by Kazakhstan President Nazarbayev on January 25 potentially represent the decentralization of executive power in the country. A lot depends on the way constitutional amendments will be realized and what amendments to legislation they can entail especially with respect to the Government’s functions,” Tompson said.

However, he supposes that strengthening of the Parliament’s powers and shifting some of President’s executive functions to the Government altogether are widely welcomed. 

 

“These steps will also be generally in line with the last OECD guidelines on decentralization of powers inside the Government by transfer of a part of the functions from the Cabinet of Ministers to the ministries. In certain areas this transfer has already occurred,” the expert concluded.