Nur-Sultan
Proposing Constitutional reforms to limit the powers of his office, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said central Asian country needs to switch from “super presidential” rule to political modernization with a focus on the role of citizens in governing the state, including through electoral processes.
Tokayev was elected in 2019 following the resignation of Nursultan Nazarbayev, who stepped down after running the mineral-rich nation for three decades. Nazarbayev this year gave up sweeping powers as the head of the security council and the leader of the ruling party during and after violent unrest in January.
In a speech to the country’s Parliament, Tokayev said at the initial stage of the country’s development, “super presidential” style rule was justified. “But we are not standing still – society is changing, the country is changing. And our political system must constantly adapt to new realities.”
With an aim to create “New Kazakhstan”, Tokayev presented a programme of comprehensive modernization based on what he described as long-standing public demand for radical changes.
“Today, literally everything is focused on the President, and this is fundamentally wrong. We need to gradually move away from this practice,” he said in an address titled “New Kazakhstan: The Path of Renewal and Modernisation.”
