Special Edition
President Nazarbayev: “We begin new stage of development”
Kazakhstan takes course toward sweeping modernization of its political system through strengthening of the Parliament
Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev has called for a massive transformation of the country’s political life and strengthening its leadership in building a democracy in a June 15 speech at the congress of the Otan (Motherland) political party in Astana.
The major step in this direction would be significant
strengthening of the role of the national Parliament
by increasing the numbers of deputies in both houses,
developing a new system of forming the Government
through the mechanism of a Parliamentary majority
and forming the budget watchdog Accounting
Committee by the Parliament and strengthening
its authority.
Despite a legacy of “an almost complete lack of
democratic traditions and totalitarianism,” the
President noted “building a modern democratic
state has been our strategic goal throughout all
of these years and we continue to move toward
that goal step by step.”
Political pluralism has become a reality in Kazakhstan with 10 active national political parties. The basis of a civil society is here now with more than 4,500 nongovernmental organizations. Independent news media outlets are developing rapidly, and Kazakhstan’s Internet audience is the largest in Central Asia.
“Most importantly, after years of reforms we have tapped the people’s civil initiative. The middle class, a key bearer of liberal values and a bastion of democracy, is growing rapidly,” the President said.
Political stability coupled with rapid economic growth and significant improvement of the wellbeing of the people of Kazakhstan in recent years has truly created conditions for the new stage of political reforms, the President said.
“The country’s modernization and ensuring our competitiveness in globalization is our most important policy priorities for the near future. The biggest issue we will tackle jointly with the future Parliament is not how to survive, but where do we go from here,” he stressed. He announced that the next parliamentary election scheduled for the coming fall will take place on September 19, 2004.
In addition to strengthening parliamentary authority, also proposed are changes to how the Central Election Commission is formed by bringing not just the Majilis (Lower House), but the Senate into the selection process for the commissioners. The Constitutional Council is also to be formed in the same way in order “to increase its authority and to strengthen its powers” to protect the Constitution.
Also proposed are changes to ensure “transparency of judicial procedures, fairness and judicial objectivity” and “greater democracy in the selection of judges”.
All the above reforms would require changes in the Constitution.
The President also proposed completing decentralization of state management by 2005, including strengthening the role of local assemblies and introducing direct elections for mayors by 2007. He said it is necessary to further improve civil service and aggressively pursue the ongoing fight against corruption.
Strengthening mechanisms for protection of human rights will be an important component of the proposed reforms and will include the introduction of jury trials, expanding the authority of the Ombudsman, giving more power to defense attorneys in criminal litigation, and the ultimate abolishment of the death penalty.
The President announced creation of a permanent National Commission on Democracy and Civil Society to help develop measures for reforming the political system.
“You can’t just declare democracy. You can only build it through hard work,” President Nazarbayev told in his speech.
_____________________________________________________________________
News Bulletin of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the USA and Canada
(Compiled from own sources and agency reports)
Contact person: Roman Vassilenko
1401 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20036
Tel.: (202) 232- 5488 ext. 104, Fax: (202) 232- 5845
