Kazakhstan’s President Tokayev: A year of reforms, new policy

KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 -- June 2020 marks one year since Kassym-Jomart Tokayev became the President of Kazakhstan – a year full of political, economic, and social reforms going on side-to-side by maintaining the principles and teachings of the First President Nursultan Nazarbayev, thus demonstrating Kazakhstan’s own effective model of succession of power.

Tokayev, who officially took the post of Head of State on June 12, 2019, immediately determined the main areas of activity and set priorities for the work of the state apparatus.

Kazakhstan is implementing a major package of political reforms designed to open a new chapter in its story of continued liberalisation of social and political life.

The reforms are focused on bolstering fundamental institutions of democracy, freedom of peaceful assembly, the legal framework for election and campaigning, and the strengthening of political parties.
In late May, Tokayev signed a number of important laws, including “On organising and holding peaceful rallies in the Republic of Kazakhstan”, “On amending the constitutional law", “On elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan”, as well as “On amending the law of the Republic of Kazakhstan On political parties”.

For instance, the new law on political rallies provides for a comprehensive simplification and deregulation of rules for organising peaceful public assemblies.
Besides that, the electoral legislation is being improved where new laws will further strengthen the rights of women and youth to participate in the country’s political life.

They provide for the introduction of an obligatory 30 per cent quota for women and young people under 29 on party lists.
The amendments to the Constitutional Law “On Elections” and the Law “On Political Parties” signed by the President became an important part of the reform package that continues to modernise Kazakhstan’s political system.

Reducing the threshold number of signatures for creating a political association that can participate in elections from 40,000 to 20,000 people is an important step for the further development of the party system in Kazakhstan.

Tokayev also carried out a set of measures aimed at improving the social well-being of both individual segments of the population and society as a whole. In the country, a credit amnesty was held for mothers with many children, families with children with disabilities, orphans, families who have lost their provider – more than 500,000 people in total.

In order to strengthen the system of protecting human rights and public safety in 2019, the Kazakh President – in his message to the people of the country – demanded to toughen criminal penalties for drug trafficking, rape, human trafficking and poaching.

"When the devastating pandemic of the new coronavirus COVID-19 literally surrounded Kazakhstan due to the outbreak of the epidemic in neighbouring countries, Tokayev confidently led Kazakhstanis through a state of emergency and full quarantine, which lasted two months. Today, the country is emerging from the pandemic with minimal losses and is gradually recovering".

-- BERNAMA

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