President Tokayev’s announced initiatives are a logical continuation of reforms, say experts
Early presidential elections
The call for early presidential elections this fall was the major headline. Announcing it, Tokayev said it would help «lower the risks of power monopolization.» He also proposed to limit the presidential term to a single seven-year term, instead of the previous two five-year terms.
A presidential vote was due in Kazakhstan in 2024 and a parliamentary election in 2025.
«For me, the interests of the state are above all. Therefore, I am ready to go to early presidential elections, even despite the reduction of my term in office,» Tokayev said.
All presidential elections in the history of Kazakhstan have been early. The last one was in June 2019, when Tokayev won receiving more than 70 percent of the vote, after First President Nursultan Nazarbayev stepped down in March 2019.
State Counsellor Erlan Karin said the address «opens a fundamentally new political milestone in the history of the country.»
«The head of state is setting qualitatively new standards for the system of power. It is the utmost transparency in making the most important political decisions, constant renewal, and open competition. The President's decision to make the entire electoral timetable public is an unprecedented step in Kazakhstan's political practice,» he wrote in his Telegram channel.
According to him, the launch of the electoral cycle is needed for the fundamental rebooting of the country’s political system and is very timely considering the growing geopolitical tensions and turbulence in the world economy.
«The unpredictability of the dynamics of global processes multiplies the risks and challenges not only for individual states but also for entire regions,» he added.
According to Gulmira Tukanova, senior researcher at the Kazakhstan Institute of Strategic Studies under the President of Kazakhstan, the single term provides an opportunity to ensure integrity and consistency in the implementation of public policy. «A longer, uninterrupted term of office will allow both the President and the state authorities to effectively implement the reforms, focusing on the essentials,» said the expert.
She sees another advantage in the elimination of conditions for the abuse of permanent re-election, another mechanism against the monopolization of power.
«Third, a seven-year single-term presidency is a kind of lean management tool in politics. Thus, resources will be concentrated on tasks aimed at improving the well-being of the nation. Time, energy, and financial resources are expected to be called upon during this time to work purposefully for the implementation of public policy, without being dispersed into another election,» she said.
Kazakhstan’s political analyst Andrei Chebotarev said the announcement of early presidential elections was a surprise for many. The question is now – who will be running for the office?
«Especially it concerns those who do not mind running for the presidency. Another thing is that the legislatively established filters for candidates for the main post in the country restrict a lot of the circle of such candidates,» said the expert.
Who can run for the presidential office?
To run for the presidential office, a person must be a citizen of Kazakhstan by birth, at least 40 years old, fluent in the Kazakh language, live in Kazakhstan for the past 15 years, have higher education, and have at least 5 years of experience in civil service.
On September 1, former presidential candidate Amirzhan Kosanov, who ran in 2019, announced that he intends to run again. He stressed that there were no legal claims against him in previous elections.
«As a citizen of Kazakhstan, who came in a formal second place (16.2 percent) in the past 2019 presidential elections, I declare my intention to run in the extraordinary presidential elections announced today by President Tokayev,» wrote Amirzhan Kosanov in a social media post.
The People's Party of Kazakhstan (PPK) stated that it has no plans to nominate a candidate in the upcoming presidential elections, saying they support the candidacy of Tokayev.
«We sincerely believe that they [political reforms] will lay a solid foundation in building a New and Fair Kazakhstan. After the referendum [on June 5], the party advocated holding early elections to the Majilis of the Parliament. We welcome the strengthening of political competition and an increase in the number of political parties,» said the party in its September 1 statement published on the official website.
They are, however, ready for the parliamentary elections that are scheduled for the first half of 2023.
«We are confident that the new wave of public managers, having the support of the people, will be able to effectively implement the socio-economic reforms announced by the President in his address,» said the party.
Amanat party will fully support the candidacy of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, said Speaker of the Senate and Amanat party member Maulen Ashimbayev.
«There is a lot of work before the end of this year: we have to adopt a large package of bills, new ones and those resulting from the referendum. They concern the criminal sphere, judicial system, business, and other areas. The Amanat Party will support the candidacy of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. I think he does a lot for reforms and development of our country,» Ashimbayev told in an interview to Orda.kz.
The Ak Zhol Democratic Party of Kazakhstan will decide on whether to nominate a candidate for president at the party’s meeting, announced its chair Azat Peruashev.
According to political expert Daniyar Ashimbayev, only two parties are ready to nominate a candidate – Amanat and Ak Zhol Party.
«At the moment, only two parties can start campaigning - Amanat and Ak Zhol, which effectively work in non-stop mode. The rest are either in anabiosis or busy with internal squabbles. There are no new parties now, though there are more than two dozen announced projects,» wrote Daniyar Ashimbayev.
Decentralization of state apparatus and administrative system reform
The planned structural economic reforms require a reboot of the system of public administration, said President Tokayev in his address to the nation.
«People are tired of empty declarations and endless presentations of a bright future. Citizens expect government agencies to actually fulfill their promises, not just in theory. Emphasis should be placed on decentralizing the system of state administration while increasing the personal responsibility of political officials. Part of the government's competencies should be transferred to ministries - a specific minister should be responsible for specific sectoral policies, not a collective cabinet,» he said.
The first step, he noted, will be to transform the Office of the Prime Minister into a compact Government Office, «corresponding to the advanced standards of public administration.»
«It is not about changing the name, but real reform. By optimizing the vertical of central agencies, we need to significantly expand the powers of local executive bodies,» said Tokayev.
According to Gulmira Tukanova, the administrative reform proposed by the President concerns primarily the national level - the government, and the central government agencies - and is aimed at further decentralization and increasing the efficiency of the public administration system.
«The government will have to focus on its, as it seems, main function - coordination of state policy, and the ministries, along with responsibility for a particular area, will receive the necessary level of freedom in defining policy and design of state programs. In essence, there will be a clear separation of political, administrative, and executive functions at the central level. Perhaps most importantly, there will be an increase in personal responsibility for the front line of political office holders,» she said.
She linked the proposed initiative with the lean management philosophy in public administration.
«Lean management in the public sector means the reorganization of management, manifested in the optimization of roles and functions, the reduction of cumbersome structures, and optimization of the management process. At the same time, a new framework of responsibility and decision-making is created. The ultimate goal is to reduce redundant operational bureaucracy and increase the flexibility and responsibility of employees,» said the expert.
While the concept is not new to Kazakhstan, she said it is the first time it will affect the government itself and is part of a broader effort to facilitate the implementation of reforms.
Written by Assel Satubaldina
Photo: akorda.kz