Astana (UNA-OIC) – The Head of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev, shows the qualities of not only a far-sighted strategist and politician, but also a President who cares about his citizens and their fate.
On September 1, 2022, he addressed his annual Address to the Nation and made a truly unprecedented decision for the political practice of Kazakhstan to publish the entire electoral schedule, thereby putting the interests of the state above all.
It is expected that early presidential elections will be held in Kazakhstan this autumn. Elections to the Parliament (Majilis and Maslikhats) of all levels will also be held in the first half of next year, and the country will receive a new composition of deputies representing the interests of broad groups of citizens.
This will allow to focus on solving urgent and strategic tasks for the socio-economic development of the country.
The launch of the entire electoral cycle is due to the need for a radical reboot of the political system of Kazakhstan and is fully consistent with the logic of the constitutional reform supported by the majority of citizens at the June 2022 referendum on the adoption of amendments to the Constitution of Kazakhstan.
Growing geostrategic tension and turbulence in the world economy, as well as the unpredictability of the dynamics of the development of world processes, were named as a weighty factor in favor of holding early elections.
Another high-profile proposal followed during the speech of Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev: to establish a limitation of the President’s mandate to one term of 7 years without the right to re-election. Kazakh political scientists note that such a political innovation has no precedents in the close and distant environment of Kazakhstan. It is designed to stabilize the country’s political system in the long term, and most importantly, to eliminate the risks of monopolization of power and strengthen the basic principles of democracy.
With the advent of President Tokayev to the post of Head of the country, began visible changes, which were greeted with enthusiasm by the people. Thanks to his initiatives, all power in Kazakhstan will no longer be concentrated in the hands of one person: the Head of State must be non-partisan – unbiased, his relatives cannot hold positions in state structures and state companies, part of the presidential powers have been given to other institutions.
The topic of children in the Address should be highlighted as a separate item. President Tokayev launched a new program, within which he proposed to deduct 50% of the annual investment income of the National Fund to special savings accounts for children under 18 years old. Upon reaching the age of majority, the accumulated amounts will be used to purchase house and education.
Also, Tokayev decided to raise the level of the minimum wage, which will directly affect the incomes of 1.8 million Kazakhstanis. A significant reboot of the pension system is planned through a consistent increase in the base pension rate.
Another significant criterion is the health of the Nation. Attention is paid to the comprehensive improvement of medical infrastructure.
The President also said that foreign businessmen who have invested more than 300 thousand dollars in the economy of Kazakhstan will have the opportunity to obtain a ten-year visa and residence permit.
At the same time, in his message, he gave a clear signal to foreign partners – we are committed to long-term economic cooperation and are open to investment.
He instructed the Government to increase the investment attractiveness of the country’s industrial sector and create favorable conditions for investors in Free Economic Zones (FEZs). The Kazakh Leader proposed to provide investment incentives for the FEZs in a differentiated way, according to the principle – the more investment, the greater the benefits.
it is worth noting that, located between Europe and Asia, the country occupies a unique strategic position and has an attractive logistics potential. For a thousand years, various trade routes passed through the territory of Kazakhstan, the most famous of which is the Great Silk Road.
Taking into account the current geopolitical situation, Kazakhstan is becoming the most important land corridor between Asia and Europe – emphasized the President of Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan has already started the implementation of such large projects as the creation of a cargo hub in the city of Aktau or the development of the Trans-Caspian corridor. This factor makes the country even more attractive place for foreign investors. At the same time, the main advantage of the country is its political stability and the continuous growth of all sectors of the economy over the past 30 years, which gives confidence to foreign investors in the success of their undertakings.
Moreover, the Address presents truly breakthrough, innovative ideas for such a young state, opening a fundamentally new political turn in the history of the country.
In general, these political initiatives comprehensively fill with real content the key formula of state building “a strong President – an influential Parliament – an accountable Government” previously indicated by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
