Photo Credit: Kazakhstan Ministry of Foreign Affairs
18 March 2023
By Susan Novela
The Diplomatic Informer Magazine South Africa
On 19 March 2023, Kazakhstan will elect the members of the Mäjilis.
These will be the ninth legislative elections since Kazakhstan’s independence in 1991 and the first snap election for the Mäjilis seats since 2016.
The parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan will mark the last step for the country’s complete reformation, based on modernisation and democratisation in line with the new path promoted by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
The Kazakh parliamentary elections play a significant role in the country’s political spectrum because they confirm government leadership
and people’s support. They also increase the stability and reliability of this Central Asian republic, which has attracted the interest of regional and foreign investors.
As a result of the constitutional reforms adopted after the June 2022 referendum, 70% of Majilis deputies will be elected from party lists and 30% from single-member districts. Elections to maslikhats in
provincial regions and cities of national importance will also be held under a mixed electoral system with a 50/50 balance.
The new model of Majilis and maslikhats was adopted to fully protect voters’ national and regional interests and to ensure representation of a wide range of views in the power brokerage bodies.
In January 2022, Kazakhstan witnessed protests due to the rise of fuel prices, which flared up across the entire country, Kazakh President Kassim-Jomart Tokayev declared a state of emergency and requested the support of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO). After
some days of tension and chaos, national authorities, and security forces managed to stabilise the situation and quelled the protests.
Since January 2022, Kazakhstan has embarked on a reform process to guarantee the country’s stability, and according to Kazakh official
statements, increase domestic modernisation, and democratisation.
Indeed, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has often stated his strategy as
to open a new stage of political development for the country, which lays the foundation for a “New and Just Kazakhstan.”
In March 2022, Tokayev proposed constitutional reforms aimed at changing
the entire state model and form of government in the country by limiting the powers of the president, strengthening the role of Parliament, expanding the participation of citizens in political processes, and
further strengthening the protection of human rights.
On 5 June 2022, a national referendum on amending the Constitution of Kazakhstan was held. Around 77% of Kazakh voters decided to amend the
country’s Constitution. International observers who attended the referendum was pleased with the results. They observed that every
requirement of the electoral legislation and the country’s international obligations were successfully met. Kazakhstan’s Central Referendum Commission accredited 272 foreign observers representing 25 countries and 11 international organisations to make the referendum objective and transparent.
On 20 November 2022, early presidential elections confirmed Tokayev’s leadership and accorded him a new mandate of seven years. Among six
candidates, Tokayev won the presidential elections, securing his leadership and the people’s support for his strategy for a new Kazakhstan.
Kazakhstan is a key player in the Central Asian geopolitical arena. Due
to its geographical position and natural resources, regional and
international powers. The country has attracted foreign investment and
entrepreneurs, thanks to its natural resources, including abundant
natural minerals, hydrocarbons, and rare earth metals.
The parliamentary elections represent the last step in the modernisation
and stabilisation of the country desired by the Kazakh leadership in
response to the perplexities and doubts that arose during and following
the protests of January 2022.
Should the turnout at the polling stations be high and the ruling party
Amanat wins. These elections could confirm the Kazakh citizens’ approval
of the work of Tokayev and thus seal his leadership and government by giving them solid support for their strategy both in domestic and
foreign policy.
It seems that the elections of March 19, 2023, in Kazakhstan will be held fairly and transparently, considering that its conduct is one of
the necessary constitutional and legal prerequisites for the
continuation of the implementation of reforms in Kazakh society, for
which the people of Kazakhstan voted in the constitutional referendum.
We wish all election participants, candidates in their constituencies, political parties, and the citizens of Kazakhstan good results as their
vote will create conditions for better life in peace, freedom, security, and stability.
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