Nazarbayev Is Going to Leave

• 02.03.2017, 12:46
•  Asia,  World

forbes.kz

In Kazakhstan people again are talking about a possible change of government. These talks came after President Nursultan Nazarbayev's came up with a video message on January 26, where he announced that he was going to transfer some of his powers and functions to the government and Parliament, at the same time fixing his role of supreme arbiter.

The draft bill of the corresponding changes in the Constitution has already been put to a nationwide discussions. Citizens have a month to look through it and submit recommendations.

According to media reports, the Kazakh society quite positively accepts such changes. Many believe it will contribute to the democratic development of the country. However, experts believe that the redistribution of powers of the president is not for democracy but just for making it easier to transfer the powers to his successor.

It is noted that the President will give away his authority only on not so much important matters, such as a disavowal of the financing of certain state programs, or the right of cancellation of government decisions, which were last time applied in 1997. So Nazarbayev is abandoning his secondary powers.

It is believed that the main changes will be proposed during the public hearings. They will ask to nominate a candidate for prime minister from the party which won in the elections, and in case the president lays down his powers in advance, the latter will be transferred not to the head of the Senate but to to the Prime Minister. This of course would smooth down the change of government about which the country's authorities started to think after the death of President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov.

In any case, the Kazakh experts have some suspicion regarding the prospects for regime change in the country, noting that such talks have been continuing for ages, which makes the change of power a political myth.