Kazakhstan president proposes early elections to prolong his term in office

Asia-Pacific, News September 2, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed to call for early elections in the upcoming month as he seeks a second term in office.

Tokayev also proposed snap elections for the parliament next year in the oil-rich Central Asian country. In his annual address at the national parliament on September 1, Tokyev said that he seeks a second term in the presidential office and suggested that the parliament should hold elections in the first half of 2023.

He stressed that such measures are needed to “strengthen the statehood” and to maintain the momentum of the political and governmental reforms he plans to achieve after the former Soviet Union state went through a severe political crisis in January 2022 that resulted in the death of 225 people.

“I propose that we hold early presidential elections in the autumn of 2022,” Tokayev said during his annual speech in the Kazakh parliament. “A new trust mandate of the people is needed for the successful implementation of fundamental and comprehensive reforms on the way to creating a fair Kazakhstan,” he added.

The parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan are actually due in the year 2025 while the Presidential elections are due in 2024, however, Tokayev plans to prolong his 7-year stay in the office by holding early elections. He also plans to decentralize the country’s decision-making process and strip the former President Nursultan Nazarbayev of his ‘national leader’ status to decrease his influence on state affairs.

The political unrest of January 2022 completely changed the course of political decision-making in Kazakhstan. Rich with energy resources, Kazakhstan was also one of the most politically stable countries in the Central Asian region since it gained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

The January 2022 protests began against the increasing oil and LPG prices. The demonstrations later became violent anti-government movements resulting in several deaths. Kazakhstan had to call on Russian troops for assistance to take control of the situation under the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Ultimately, the Kazakh government detained at least 12,000 people who allegedly participated in violent anti-government protests.

*^{Riot police block a street to prevent demonstrators during a protest in Almaty, Kazakhstan on January 5, 2022. (Image Credit: AP/Vladimir Tretyako)}*

Following the political crisis, President Tokeyev announced major constitutional reforms in April 2022. He proposed a referendum in order to determine whether or not his proposed constitutional amendments should be made in Kazakhstan. These amendments included the abrogation of the death penalty, a ban on political party membership for the chair and member of the Central Election Commission, a ban on the political party affiliation for the President, and also a ban on the president appointing his close relatives to the government and quasi-public sector positions.

The former President of Kazakhstan, Nazarbayev ruled the country for 29 years after its independence in 1991. He stepped down from the office in 2019 and hand-picked Tokayev as his successor. Tokayev aims to prolong his stay in the Presidential office through early elections in order to implement his proposed constitutional amendments.