Sultanov B.K. Kazakhstan Today
Подождите немного. Документ загружается.
60 61
country of all ethnic groups, united with the Kazakh nation by com-
monness of historical fate, common hopes and concerns.
In essence, this law had become Kazakhstan’s temporary con-
stitution when its independence was being established. In terms of
legal force it even exceeded the then Basic Law of the Kazakh SSR
and legislative acts of the Soviet Union, whose provisions were
recognised in the country’s territory only if they did not contradict
the Constitutional Law On State Independence of the Republic of
Kazakhstan [3].
Following the adoption of this constitutional law Kazakhstan was
recognised by many countries as a fully-fl edged member of the inter-
national community and all necessary international legal mechanisms
were created for cooperation, and the country acquired the voting right
to take part in solving regional and global issues. On 2 March 1992
Kazakhstan became a fully-fl edged member of the United Nations.
The main result of the adoption of the Constitutional Law On State
Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan was the international
recognition of Kazakhstan, the strengthening of its reputation on a
regional and global scale and an increase in the country’s status. As an
independent state Kazakhstan is a full member of many international
and regional institutions and organisations.
The country’s constitution, which defi ned the strategic aspects of
the development of society and the state, was drafted and endorsed
by the people and a new legal system was created on the basis of the
constitutional law. The fundamental human rights and liberties and
mechanisms of protecting human rights and freedoms were enshrined
in legislation.
Thus, the Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Kazakh SSR and
the Constitutional Law On State Independence of the Republic of
Kazakhstan have laid the constitutional and legal foundation of the
independent state.
1.6. The Election of the First President of the Republic
of Kazakhstan (December 1991)
In September 1989, amendments were made to the 1978 constitu-
tion to adopt the institution of the highest executive post – the chair-
man of the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR and later in April 1990
– the institution of the president of the Kazakh SSR.
The president, as the highest government offi cial, was entrusted
with functions directly linked to both legislative and highest execu-
tive activities.
As the Soviet government’s infl uence was being eroded, the
president of the Kazakh SSR was given great powers: he acted as
the guarantor of observation of human rights and liberties in the
country, observation of the constitution and laws; took measures to
protect sovereignty, security and territorial integrity of the country;
and represented Kazakhstan in the international arena.
The adoption of these provisions bore uncompromising nature
between the continuing diktat of the Soviet central bodies and the
country’s desire to expand its sovereignty. The adoption of the
institution of presidency in Kazakhstan made it possible to fi ll the
vacuum of power which was created as the Communist Party lost its
governing functions.
The events that followed have shown that in the situation of the
rapid disintegration of one union state, the adoption of the post of
president was a timely step taken by the country’s leaders that helped
establish real independence, protect sovereignty and bring the state
out of the political and economic crisis.
The break-up of the Soviet Union made former members of it
sovereign. The phase of active dismantling of the totalitarian social-
ist system and freeing society from the communist ideology and
switching to a market economy started. All this demanded historical
decisions that defi ned the future of Kazakhstan.
The popular election of the fi rst president in Kazakhstan’s history
was held on 1 December 1991.
As a result of the election, Nursultan Nazarbayev was elected the
country’s president with 98.7% of the votes.
Kazakhstan today
Chapter 1. The History of Kazakh Statehood
62 63
1.7. The First Constitution of the Republic
of Kazakhstan of 1993
After the declaration of sovereignty Kazakhstan faced a number
of complex tasks: strengthening independence, ensuring political
stability and national security, and fi nally, identifying the nature of
the new statehood, which mean that all the elements of the state
system had to be transposed to the features of an independent,
democratic state.
Kazakhstan was forced to resolve these issues under very compli-
cated conditions. The country was encountering a deep socioeconomic
crisis, the consequences of which were: the collapse of industry,
hyperinfl ation and a slump in living standards. In this situation the
focus had to be fi rst of all placed on the stabilisation and development
of the country’s economy.
There had not even been any signs of basics of a market economy
– one of the main economic preconditions for the establishments
of democracy. In reality, no-one has disproved the theory that the
“economic base defi nes the ideological superstructure”, even if they
longed to do so.
As a result of the break-up of the USSR, interethnic problems
worsened in almost all post-Soviet countries, and this was bound to
infl uence the situation in multiethnic Kazakhstan. There are plenty
of examples, and the emergence of many new hotbeds of interethnic
tension in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) became
practically an inevitable attribute of the commonwealth’s post-Soviet
development.
Moreover, the country lacked its own, historically developed
democratic traditions and experience of functioning democratic
institutions. And in the fi rst years of independence the 70-year-long
experience of the Soviet past considerably hindered the acceleration
of new democratic values in the mass consciousness of the country’s
population.
This means that the key aspect of the state’s domestic policy at
that stage was the drafting and public discussion of the fi rst Consti-
tution of the Republic of Kazakhstan. It was high time the country’s
Basic Law was brought in line with the new political and economic
realities in the country.
The Supreme Soviet of the 12
th
convocation voting to dissolve
itself in December 1993 and the Constitutional Court of the Republic
of Kazakhstan’s declaration of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic
of Kazakhstan, elected on 7 March 1994, as illegitimate (following
a civil lawsuit) led to a constitutional crisis and the need to draft a
new constitution.
The country’s Supreme Soviet, which drafted the constitution, laid
the foundation for Kazakh statehood. It is worth noting that that work
on drafting the constitution was conducted in the situation of politi-
cal discords that existed in society. The situation was complicated by
economic disintegration in the former Soviet Union, the problem of
settling payments, high infl ation, a slump in production, a growth in
unemployment and falling living standards.
All this was refl ected during the public discussion of the word-
ing if the fi rst constitution. Its provisions related to the status of the
Russian language, citizenship and the form of Kazakh statehood
prompted heat debates.
The fi rs constitution of sovereign Kazakhstan was adopted on
28 January 1993 at the ninth session of the Supreme Council of
the Republic of Kazakhstan of the 12
th
convocation. As the act of
supreme legal power it created the foundation for building national
state independence.
However, as the act of supreme legal power Kazakhstan’s fi rst
constitution was ambiguous. On the one hand, the constitution helped
to conduct market and democratic reforms, and, on the other, caused
debates and instability in power, in its legislative branch because
of a failure to solve the issue of the division of powers between the
legislative and executive branches.
Some fundamental formulations in the constitution that related
to the nature of statehood, language problems, private ownership of
land and citizenship issue became the subject of increasing attention
and factors of social tension.
Kazakhstan today
Chapter 1. The History of Kazakh Statehood
64 65
1.8. The Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan
of 30 August 1995
The recognition of the Supreme Soviet in March 1994 as illegiti-
mate prompted the need to adopt a new constitution for the country.
The text of the new Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan was
endorsed in a national referendum on 30 August 1995, which was
preceded by wide discussions over the new provisions of the consti-
tution among the Kazakh public and foreign experts.
In total, there were about 33,000 public discussions of the draft
constitution in Kazakhstan and they involved over 3 million citizens.
As part of this campaign almost 30,000 proposals and remarks had
been made on it. As a result, over 1,100 amendments and addenda
were made to 55 articles.
Item 1 of Article 1 of the new constitution states that “the Republic
of Kazakhstan proclaims itself a democratic, secular, legal and social
state whose highest values are an individual, his life, rights and free-
doms.” In this way Kazakhstan chose a democratic model for state
development, the legal provisions of which met the needs of the state
construction in the country.
“We, the people of Kazakhstan, united by a common historic fate,
creating a state on the indigenous Kazakh land, considering ourselves
a peace-loving and civil society, dedicated to the ideals of freedom,
equality and concord, wishing to take a worthy place in the interna-
tional community, realising our high levels of responsibility before
the present and future generations, proceeding from our sovereign
right, adopt this constitution.”
These are the exact words the Basic Law of the Republic of Ka-
zakhstan begins with. Kazakhstan’s constitution – not declaratively,
but with its entire structure and technical-legal basis and a system of
clear-cut state, political and legal categories – creates fi rm precondi-
tions for building and developing a modern state and a social market
economy.
The general outline of Kazakhstan’s statehood is clearly defi ned
in Article 1 of the Basic Law, which says that “the Republic of
Kazakhstan proclaims itself a democratic, secular, legal and social
state whose highest values are an individual, his life, rights and
freedoms.”
The constitution defi nes Kazakhstan as a unitary and indivisible
state. The chief characteristic of a unitary state is that it does not have
any national-state or autonomous entities. Being unitary means single
citizenship, legislation and a system of government.
According to the constitution, Kazakhstan is a republic with the
presidential form of government, where the president is the head of
state, the highest government offi cial, who defi nes the key aspects of
the country’s domestic and foreign policy.
The Kazakh constitution legally supports a strong presidential form
of government, and, as a result, a sustainable and consistent institution
of strong state power has been created in the country.
At the same time, one of the fundamental principles of the Con-
stitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the principle of people’s
sovereignty, which means that the only source of government in
Kazakhstan is its people. From this constitutional provision it derives
that state power in the country comes from the people and it belongs
to them and may be exercised by them directly, i.e. through national
referendums and free elections or may be delegated by the people to
government bodies.
The principle of the people’s full power, enshrined in the Constitu-
tion of the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a universal principle which has
a value that is common to all humankind and inherent to the majority
of modern democratic constitutions.
The supreme direct expression of the people’s power, accord-
ing to the constitution, is national referendums and free elections
(Item 2 of Article 3 of the constitution). This means: Kazakh citizens
have the right to take part in governing the state directly and through
their representatives, elect and be elected to government and local
government bodies; take part in national referendums; the adoption
of democratic rules for forming representative bodies and democratic
procedures for their activities; the combination of representational and
direct democracy; increasing the role of political parties and public
associations in the political system of society.
Kazakhstan today
Chapter 1. The History of Kazakh Statehood
66 67
1.9. The National Referendum on Extending the Term of the
President of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The 1993 constitution did not envisage a procedure for resolving
critical situations between the branches of power. This preconditioned
a crisis of the representative branch of power in 1993-1994, which was
followed by the delegation of legislative functions to the country’s
president and the constitutional crisis in March 1995.
In the situation of the absence of a legislative branch, a referendum
became the most rational solution to the constitutional crisis and an
instrument in reforming the Kazakh political system.
On 25 March 1995, with the aim of preserving unity in society and
preventing the polarisation of the political and social situation in the
country, the Assembly of Kazakhstan’s People adopted a resolution
on the need to hold a national referendum on extending the term of
the Kazakh president until 1 December 2000.
Proceeding from the situation that had emerged and taking into ac-
count the views of all social strata of the country’s population (which
demanded that the president take measures to avoid a split in society),
Nursultan Nazarbayev agreed to hold the referendum.
The referendum held on 29 April 1995, which, according to of-
fi cial information, had a turnout of 91.3%, resulted in 95.4% of voters
favouring the extension of the president’s term.
The referendum results enabled President Nazarbayev to continue
radical reforms, and the president announced that developing democ-
racy was the main objective.
Constitutional reforms, unresolved problems related to private
property, education and reforms in the agricultural and legislation
spheres had to fi nd their solutions in the new constitution.
1.10. The State Symbols
of the Republic of Kazakhstan
The offi cial distinctive symbols of Kazakhstan and symbols of
its sovereignty are the national fl ag, the national emblem and the
national anthem.
The design of the national fl ag of the Republic of Kazakhstan was
proposed by artist Shaken Niyazbekov. The national fl ag is a piece
of rectangular cloth of sky-blue colour with a picture of a golden sun
with a soaring golden eagle in the centre and a vertical strip with a
national ornament.
The sky-blue colour of the fl ag symbolises sky. In heraldry blue
and its shades correspond to human traits such as honesty, loyalty
and hope. The sky-blue background of the national fl ag aims to stress
the purity and goodness of intentions of the people of Kazakhstan in
their aspirations to a new statehood and the adherence of the people
of Kazakhstan to the good and noble idea of unity.
The golden sun, surrounded in sunrays, embodies peace and
wealth.
The eagle embodies generosity and vision, the height of the in-
tentions of the people of Kazakhstan, and symbolises the breadth of
the soul of the steppe people, open to all peoples and nations who
respect the proud, free-willed and independent spirit of multiethnic
sovereign Kazakhstan.
The national emblem was designed by Zhandarbek Malibekov and
Shot-Aman Ualikhanov. The main element of the national emblem
is the shanyrak – the chief element of the yurt which is the basis of
its dome. For Kazakhs the shanyrak is a symbol of the tribal nest,
native home.
This means that the shanyrak on the national emblem symbolises
Kazakhstan as a common home for all ethnic groups who reside there.
On the edges of the emblem are the heads of winged horses-unicorns.
The horned horse in many cultures is regarded as a holy animal. It
came from ancient times and today, embellishing the country’s em-
blem, it symbolises hidden talents and creative power of the young
state. Winged horses, embracing the shanyrak on the emblem, are
Kazakhstan today
Chapter 1. The History of Kazakh Statehood
68 69
elevating it to the sky, thus showing the confi dence of the people of
Kazakhstan in a bright future.
The national anthem of Kazakhstan has a compelling history. Until
2006, it used the tune of the anthem of the Kazakh SSR and lyrics,
written by a group of Kazakh poets about Kazakhstan obtaining its
independence.
A competition for the tune and lyrics of a new national anthem of
Kazakhstan was announced in early 1992, and about 750 applications
were received. During discussions the public favoured preserving the
tune of the previous anthem, which was held dear and close to the heart
of every citizen of Kazakhstan (it was composed by composers Mukan
Tulebayev, Yevgeny Brusilovsky and Latif Khamidi in 1944).
The winners of the competition were four authors who worked
together. Three of them Muzafar Alimbayev, Kadyr Myrzaliyev and
Tumanbai Moldagaliyev are well-known young-generation poets who
were joined by the young talented poetess Zhadyra Daribayeva. The
national anthem was translated from Kazakh into Russian by Bakhyt
Kairbekov.
On 7 January 2006, the popular song Menin Kazakstanym (My
Kazakhstan) was made Kazakhstan’s national anthem. It was writ-
ten in 1956, and its lyrics were amended by President Nursultan
Nazarbayev.
The rules for playing the national anthem were also adopted. Now,
at offi cial events people have to stand up and put their right hand on
the left side of their chests when the national anthem is played.
The national anthem is another state symbol in which the tune
and lyrics express the same sense as the national fl ag and the national
emblem.
The lyrics of the national anthem
In the sky is a golden sun,
On the steppe is a golden grain.
The epic of courage,
Is my country!
Since ancient times,
Our glory has been known.
Guarding their honour,
Strong are my Kazakh people!
Refrain:
My country, my people,
I am your fl ower, nurtured by you,
I am your song, fi lling you,
You are my country, my Kazakhstan!
A path has been opened for new generations
By my vast country.
Unity suits
My independent country.
Meeting the new era
As an old friend
Our country is happy
This is my country!
Refrain:
My country, my people,
I am your fl ower, nurtured by you,
I am your song, fi lling you,
You are my country, my Kazakhstan!
References
1. Кан Г. История Казахстана. – Алматы: Алматыкiтап,
2007. – с. 55.
2. Кременецкая Ю. Монгольское нашествие на территории
Казахстана и его последствия: Сборник статей. – Алматы: КазНПУ
им. К. Сатпаева, 2001. – с. 6.
3. Хитрин Ю. Великий день нашей истории // Казахстанская
правда. – 14 декабря 2002.
Kazakhstan today
Chapter 1. The History of Kazakh Statehood
70 71
4. Исмагамбетов Т. Развитие казахского истеблишмента в
конце XIX – середине XX веков // Центральная Азия и Кавказ.
1997. – № 11.
5. Байпаков К.М., Кумеков Б.Е., Пищулина К.А. История
Казахстана в средние века. – Алматы, 1996.
6. Бурханов К.Н., Султанов Б.К., Аяган Б.Г. Современная
политическая история Казахстана (1985-2006 гг.). – Алматы:
Институт истории и этнологии им. Ш. Валиханова, 2007.
7. Калашников И. Жестокий век. – Алма-Ата: Жазушы,
1985.
8. Кан Г.В. История Казахстана. – Алматы, 2007.
9. Кляшторный С.Г., Султанов Т.И. Казахстан. Летопись
трех тысячелетий. – Алма-Ата: Рауан, 1992.
10. Морозов А.А. Казахстан за годы независимости. – Алматы:
КИСИ при Президенте РК, 2005.
11. История Казахстана с древнейших времен до наших дней:
очерки. – Алматы, 1993.
12. http ://каzhistory.ru
13. http://www.tarsu.kz
14. http://www.ukg.kz
Chapter 2. DOMESTIC POLICY
2.1. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev
In keeping with the current Constitution of the Republic of Ka-
zakhstan, the president is a symbol and guarantor of the unity of the
people and government, the inviolability of the constitution and hu-
man rights and liberties of the citizens (Article 40).
The effi ciency of the presidential form of government in Kazakh-
stan is that the Kazakh president, within the political and constitutional
fi eld, is not a passive observer. Constitutional provisions regarding the
president of Kazakhstan show that he is an active and authoritative
participant of state and political processes [1].
The fi rst president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, was born
in the village of Shamalgan in Almaty Oblast’s Kaskelen District on
6 July 1940.
Kazakhstan today
Chapter 2. Domestic Policy
72 73
He is a doctor of economics and a full member of the National
Academy of Sciences of Kazakhstan, the International Engineering
Academy, the Academy of Social Sciences of Russia and an honorary
member of the Belarusian Academy of Science. Mr Nazarbayev is an
honorary professor of the al-Farabi Kazakh National University and
an honorary professor of the Lomonosov Moscow State University.
President Nazarbayev is the author of more than ten books, such as
The Steel Profi le of Kazakhstan, Without the Right and the Left, The
Strategy of Resources-Saving and a Switch to Market, The Strategy
of Establishment and Development of Kazakhstan as Sovereign State,
and Market and Socioeconomic Development. Some of his books, for
example On the Threshold of the 21 Century, The Eurasian Union:
Ideas, Practice and Prospects. 1994-1997, In the Flow of History, The
Epicentre of Peace, and The Critical Decade have become bestsellers
which have been widely translated abroad.
1960 – the president begins his professional career at the Kara-
ganda Metal Combine, where during the fi rst decade of his work he
had claimed acknowledgement and respect of his colleagues as a
responsible worker, good organiser and talented orator;
1967 – graduates from the Higher Technical Educational Estab-
lishment under the Karaganda Metal Combine;
1969 – 1973 – performs functions at the Communist Party and the
All-Union Young Leninist Communist League (VLKSM) in Temirtau
in Karaganda Oblast;
1973 – 1977 – secretary of the Party Committee of the Karaganda
Metal Combine;
1977 – 1979 – secretary, second secretary of the Karaganda Oblast
Party Committee;
1979 – 1984 – secretary of the Central Committee of the Com-
munist Party of Kazakhstan;
1984 – 1989 – chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh
SSR;
1989 – 1991 – fi rst secretary of the Central Committee of the
Communist Party of Kazakhstan;
February – April 1990 – chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the
Kazakh SSR [2];
April 1990 – December 1991 – experts regard this as the period of
institutionalising the presidential form of government in Kazakhstan
[1];
24 April 1990 – the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Kazakhstan
creates the post of president of the Republic (after the creation of
the post of president of the USSR on 14 March 1990) and Nursultan
Nazarbayev is elected the fi rst president in Kazakhstan’s history.
From this moment his personal history is inviolably linked to the
history of the whole nation. It is worth noting that at the initial stage
the presidential power was limited: the president was a fi gurehead
without real power. Nevertheless, the creation of the post of president
played a particular role in the subsequent transformation of the entire
political system of Kazakhstan.
The further development of the institution of the presidential
power in Kazakhstan was linked to the adoption of the Kazakh SSR
Law On Improving the Structure of Government in the Kazakh SSR
and Adopting Amendments and Addenda to the Constitution (Basic
Law) of the Kazakh SSR on 20 November 1990 and amendments and
addenda to it on 25 June 1991. In accordance with this document,
the president was declared the head of state with the highest execu-
tive powers. With the adoption of this law the government system of
Kazakhstan, formally remaining parliamentary, in essence, switched
to the semi-presidential model.
The fi nal legitimisation of the institution of presidency took place
after the fi rst presidential election on 1 December 1991, in which
Nursultan Nazarbayev received 98.7% of the vote. After the voluntary
dissolution of the Supreme Council at the end of 1993 and delegation
of legislative rights to the president before it, the presidential form of
government became a political reality which was legally formulated
in the 1995 constitution
*
.
The basic model of the presidential power that was set up then
is still in force. It should be noted that it has demonstrated a fairly
high level of effi ciency and largely helped the country to overcome
*
The clearness of the choice in favour of the strong presidential power and its correspondence
to the people’s expectations were confi rmed by a referendum on 30 August 1995 (89% of “yes”
votes), which meant the adoption of the new constitution.
Kazakhstan today
Chapter 2. Domestic Policy
74 75
the serious crisis of the 1990s [3, pp 45-50]. Nursultan Nazarbayev
once said that “having chosen the model of a presidential republic,
we have brought the country out of the post-Soviet economic and
political chaos” [4, p 8]. However, objective needs for further de-
velopment demanded the country’s government actively search for
an effi cient model for the state and political system, including the
fi nal choice of a presidential or parliamentary form of government,
a solution to the problem of the division of branches of power and
the decentralisation of power. On 16 May 2007, speaking at a joint
session of parliament’s chambers, the president proposed his own
vision of this model: “The need to build Kazakh statehood and a
market economy from scratch and develop a liberal political system
for the fi rst time in our history demanded the bold consolidation of
society. That is why I assumed all responsibility for what is taking
place in the country and this was a must. However, today, when all
important parameters of the process of modernising the country
have been defi ned and we realise that it is irreversible, there is
sense in redistributing some duties and responsibilities between the
president and parliament. I propose to choose a way of changing the
constitution in which the country remains presidential but with the
considerable expansion of parliament’s powers. This will transform
our country’s model of government from presidential into presiden-
tial-parliamentary.” [4. p 11]
Since 2007, when the country’s constitution was amended, the
institution of presidency has preserved its role as an element stabilis-
ing the system, concentrating the efforts of elite groups on solving
important political problems, as was the case, for example in the
mid-1990s (the economic crisis) or at the beginning of the 2000s (the
elites crisis) [5, 10]. Analysts point to the fact that “in Kazakhstan the
presidential form of government is one of the fundamental organisa-
tional conditions for the stability of the entire political system of the
country. The presidential power in Kazakhstan embodies not only
the strength of government but also, not least, the basis on which the
mechanisms of self-regulation of branches of power develop and their
organic integration into the structure of public life and deep strata of
social culture, inherent to Kazakh society” [1].
This was all prompted by the consensus nature of the political
course, adopted by the Kazakh president, which has always helped
mobilise and consolidate political and economic elites during reforms
that were crucial for the country. Another advantage of the head of
state’s policy was the ability to conduct large-scale reforms with
minimum confl ict, which, in turn, demanded the consolidation of
efforts in solving these. Kazakh society was consolidated around the
strong and dynamic leader with a clear vision of prospects of further
development. The unity and stability achieved under the leadership
of President Nazarbayev was a deliberate political decision taken
by the majority of the country’s population, repeatedly confi rmed in
elections, including the presidential election in 2005
*
and the par-
liamentary election in 2007
**
. As a result, in this case stability acts
as an en-masse demand and the policy of stability, pursued by Mr
Nazarbayev, meets the people’s expectations [5, p 11].
When considering the fi rst president’s role in Kazakhstan’s mod-
ern history, it is necessary to note the special role personalities play
in the political process in modern Kazakhstan and the post-Soviet
space in general. It is no great exaggeration to say that the history of
the establishment of independent Kazakhstan’s statehood was fully
personifi ed in and revolved around one person. Successes achieved
during the years of independence, including Kazakhstan’s current
leadership in Central Asia, are largely linked to Mr Nazarbayev’s
personality. It is no accident that Russian experts on Kazakhstan and
Central Asia consider Kazakhstan’s phenomenon inseparably from
the Nazarbayev factor, a politician on a global scale who has had
successful experience in economic and social reforms: Kazakhstan’s
indisputable success is not only and not that much about oil or the
elements of the periodical table hidden in the depths of the steppe.
In short, Kazakhstan under Mr Nazarbayev has to a greater extent
managed to become a fully-fl edged state than Georgia under Eduard
Shevardnadze, Ukraine under Leonid Kuchma or Kyrgyzstan under
*
On 4 December 2005, Nursultan Nazarbayev was re-elected president of Kazakhstan with
91.15% of the vote.
**
On 18 August 2007, the president’s Nur Otan party won a vast majority in the parliamentary
and local elections.
Kazakhstan today
Chapter 2. Domestic Policy
76 77
Askar Akayev. Experts claim that this is an obvious historical fact
[6, pp 14-15]. Political analyst Yury Solozobov notes: “Nursultan
Nazarbayev, whatever fervent Kazakh opposition members say about
him, has met a much more important objective for his country. In Ka-
zakhstan, a new national state has been built on a great territory with
a small multiethnic population. The most important fact is that this
successfully functioning statehood has been built not in the context
of high oil prices, but, on the contrary, from the basis of the almost
total collapse of the economy in the early 1990s… Kazakhstan, I am
deeply convinced, is a shining example of the most successful post-
Soviet statehood.” [6, pp 159, 161]
2.2. The Kazakhstan-2030 Strategy
The defi ning factor of Kazakhstan’s development was strategic
planning. At the fi rst stage of our development we had to focus on
institutional construction and the solution of immediate macroeco-
nomic problems, whereas as early as 1998 we managed to look at
longer-term prospects. President Nazarbayev noted at the time that “it
is now important to thoroughly comprehend our situation and analyse
our development from the point of view of international experience
and compare the degree of implementation of our reforms and for-
mation of new institutions with the best international experience. It
is no less important to soberly analyse our strengths and weaknesses
and, only after that, to draft our own strategy” [7]. This strategy was
presented by the head of state in 1997 in his fi rst State-of-the-Nation
Address Prosperity, Security and Improvement in the Wellbeing of All
People of Kazakhstan until 2030, or the Kazakhstan-2030 Strategy.
All of the president’s state-of-the-nation addresses that followed set
the main aspects of the country’s domestic and foreign policy, tak-
ing the strategy’s priorities into account. For example, in his address
Through the Crisis to Renewal and Development, made on 6 March
2009, the president stressed: “We have adopted Kazakhstan’s develop-
ment strategy for decades to come, and our experience in turning it
into the country’s real successes have made us confi dent in our own
strength and we have become convinced of the correctness of the path
we have chosen.” [7] Russian political analysts, closely watching our
successes, have concluded that “in the end, the country’s wellbeing lies
in the implementation of the Kazakhstan-2030 Strategy” [6, p 117].
The Kazakhstan-2030 Strategy is based on seven long-term pri-
orities:
1. Developing and strengthening
the national security system
Strengthening national security is one of the necessary mechanisms
that ensure the stable and sustainable formation of any state. After
the adoption of the Kazakhstan-2030 Strategy the development of
Kazakhstan today
Chapter 2. Domestic Policy
78 79
Kazakhstan’s national security system acquired strategic importance
and purpose. Our country has now created a comprehensive and ef-
fi cient security system which takes into account its social, economic
and military-political aspects. Kazakhstan’s security system is based
on laws and special programmes, including the 1998 Law On Na-
tional Security, the Strategy for National Security in 2006-2010;
the Military Doctrine; and the Blueprints of Military Reforms. The
latter programmes resulted in Kazakhstan launching the process of
creating a professional army, capable of defending the country from
foreign aggression.
In issues of ensuring national security Kazakhstan sticks to a
multi-vector policy with singling out strategic partners. This foreign
political course has led to Kazakhstan’s present membership of vari-
ous systems of collective security which make it possible to main-
tain the balance between interests of global powers in its territory,
ensuring the basics of the strength of our state’s national security.
These systems of collective security are the Shanghai Cooperation
Organisation (SCO), the Organisation for Security and Cooperation
in Europe, the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organisation and the
Conference on Interaction and Confi dence-Building Measures in
Asia (CICA)
*
.
Kazakhstan’s active involvement in these international organi-
sations coincided with the beginning of the implementation of the
Kazakhstan-2030 Strategy.
2. Ensuring domestic political stability
and the consolidation of society
Ensuring domestic political stability is a key priority for Kazakh-
stan’s development until 2030. Implementing this priority will only
be possible when the following main components, defi ned in the
strategy, exist:
*
It was Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s idea to establish the CICA belongs to. Ka-
zakhstan is an active member of the organisation, proven by its summits held in Kazakhstan. This
organisation is expected to occupy an important place in creating a system of collective security
in Asia. That Kazakhstan initiated and took part in its creation shows the maturity of our state and
its ability to fulfi l a considerable role in the context of Asian and global security.
- equal opportunities for all citizens of the country;
- the removal of interethnic contradictions and the quality of
rights for all ethnic groups;
- the reduction of the gap between the rich and the needy;
- the solution of social problems and rural problems;
- the development of all forms of communications between
people;
- the strengthening of mutual respect, tolerance and trusted rela-
tions between different denominations [7].
As a result, our formula for domestic political stability can be
presented as the sum of two components – social stability and in-
terethnic stability. And now we can proudly say that his formula is
working successfully.
This is also stressed by Russian experts: “Kazakhstan is the most
successful country in the CIS. It is the only country to effi ciently
modernise the economy while preserving social and interethnic sta-
bility.” [6, p 187]
In the 2008 state-of-the-nation address the head of state noted that
“over the past 16 years of independence we have designed our own
model of ensuring social stability, interethnic accord, building Kazakh
identity and Kazakh patriotism. This is our Kazakh know-how, which
we are proud of and have to carefully preserve” [8].
3. Economic growth based on an open market economy
with high levels of foreign investment
The development of private initiative and business, active foreign
trade and the attraction of investment in the country’s economy are
important preconditions for ensuring sustainable economic growth
in Kazakhstan. In terms of this indicator, for the past few years Ka-
zakhstan has been on a par with rapidly developing countries, such
as China, India and ASEAN countries.
Our country’s economic growth was based on the implementation
of the fi rst, preparatory, stage of the Kazakhstan-2030 Strategy in
1998-2000. Kazakhstan then built the basis for the fulfi lment of all
Kazakhstan today
Chapter 2. Domestic Policy