Astana (UNA-OIC) – Completing the election cycle (first a referendum, then presidential and then parliamentary elections), Kazakhstan is moving to the stage of formation of a mature and stable statehood.
In the 13 months since the events of January 2022, Kazakhstan’s political system has gone through three electoral campaigns: a referendum, presidential elections, and the renewal of the Upper House of Parliament. The fourth campaign – early elections to the Lower House of Parliament should be the final stage in the formation of a fundamentally new historical context for Kazakhstan with a more developed political system and pluralism of opinions. Early elections at all levels are necessary for Kazakhstan in order to attract new faces and fresh ideas to politics, diversifying the composition of key state institutions, making it more inclusive and representative.
Early elections at all levels after the start of reforms are evidence of the political honesty of the authorities of Kazakhstan in relation to the people of the country.
In the context of the new legal norms and the new Constitution, the authorities of Kazakhstan demonstrate honesty and openness towards citizens, giving them the opportunity through elections, ahead of schedule, to re-express their opinion and position in relation to the changes taking place in the country and to the composition of officials in key state institutions, the quality of their work and the effectiveness of decisions taken.
The political landscape has changed – people’s opinions could also change. That is why they are given the opportunity to speak earlier, without waiting for the term of office of the current parliament.
Only through the holding of new parliamentary elections is it possible to qualitatively change the party field of Kazakhstan, making it more competitive.
The upcoming elections should allow Kazakhstan to form a more competitive multiparty system, which is necessary for the development of a strong and stable democracy representing the interests of different groups of society. Changing the electoral landscape and increasing the number of political parties will lead to a more representative and diverse parliament. And this, in turn, will contribute to improving the quality of governance and public policy in Kazakhstan.
By early parliamentary elections and amendments to the Constitution, Kazakhstan launches the process of forming civilized political traditions.
By updating the composition of the entire political elite through elections, making it more diverse, and the environment itself highly competitive, Kazakhstan should begin the formation of a new political practice for the country – the regular transfer of power (through legitimate, competitive elections without any transit and inheritance), which is an integral feature of all democratic regimes.
A distinctive feature of these elections in Kazakhstan is a large number of independent candidates. This is a clear proof of the democratization of society.
Early elections should ensure the influx of more independent figures into the political life of Kazakhstan. For the first time since 2004, the practice of electing by majority districts was returned to the electoral system. There are already a lot of public figures and activists on the lists of nominees who had nothing to do with politics before. Among them there are those who openly criticize certain initiatives of the current Government, which indicates the absence of barriers to the nomination of different people, regardless of their political views.
