On Wednesday, deputies of the Majilis (lower chamber) of the Parliament of Kazakhstan appealed to President Nursultan Nazarbayev with a request to dissolve the supreme legislative body of the country and schedule elections to the Majilis and Maslikhats (lower chamber of parliament and local government bodies). According to the Constitution, elections must be held within two months after the dissolution of Parliament. Experts believe that President Nazarbayev, while preempting the crisis, is creating a team of adherents.
"We, the representatives of all three parliamentary factions, propose an initiative on the early dissolution of the Majilis of the Parliament," parliamentary deputy Nurlan Abdirov said, while reading the text of a joint statement on Wednesday in Astana. According to the MP from the faction of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan (CPK), Vladislav Kosarev, "the current Majilis has fulfilled its historic mission of creating the legal framework for implementing the Plan of the Nation." In his turn, the head of the parliamentary faction of the party 'Ak Zhol', Azat Peruashev, noted that "early parliamentary elections are necessary to form a new parliament, which will receive the mandate of national trust for a complete and confident implementation of five reforms of the president and the anti-crisis strategy of our country."
According to the director of international programs at the Institute of National Strategy of the Russian Federation, Yuri Solozobov, it was quite an expected step. "Firstly, the elections to Majilis were traditionally early. Parliament has always worked conscientiously, actively fulfilling the agenda ahead of schedule. The current composition of the Parliament also honorably fulfilled its task by adopting a package of important measures on the 'Plan of the Nation'. I think that it is a responsible step, when people do not cling to their seats, but place the public interest above their personal ambitions, enabling the country to develop," Yuri Solozobov told Vestnik Kavkaza. Secondly, as noted by the expert, a difficult time of low commodity prices has arrived. It's not just about oil, the barrel of which in the coming few years will cost about 20-30 dollars, but also about metals. This period may last for several years in a row, Nazarbayev said. Therefore, they need a new energetic management team, a new prime minister and new parliament for the anti-crisis measures. Finally, the third point – a new political time is beginning, the expert believes, and it is necessary to prepare for the difficult stage of development of Kazakhstan, take it with renewed strength. "Elections will allow to mobilize the people of Kazakhstan. To put before it new challenges in the new economic situation. It is important that, during the crisis, great importance is attached to the social well-being of the population. The head of the ruling party 'Nur Otan', Dariga Nazarbayeva, has experience of work on social issues. I think that her experience will be in demand, both during the election campaign and after it," Solozobov noted.
The representative of the Association of Cross-Border Cooperation in Kazakhstan, Marat Shibutov, reminded that in September, the country suffered a management crisis. "Our elite was not prepared for the new challenges. Accordingly, the executive branch has changed, and the representative branch should be changed after it. A new stage of reforms and a new policy require new people. Moreover, it is mostly not about the Majilis, but about the Maslikhats. Because even a Maslikhats at a regional level is a few hundred people, which is much more than in the Majilis. In other words, it is a great change in the regional elites. A Maslikhat has greater personnel influence and we see a large-scale change in the composition of our elite. It's not just about a new competence. The head of state set a course for the rejuvenation of the state apparatus, and I think it will affect the representative authority. Because if the average age of the population is 31 years, the average age of deputies cannot be 61. Considering the difference in technological development, these people will not understand each other," Marat Shibutov believes.
However, for some MPs, the self-dissolution of parliament was a surprise. For example, an MP from the faction 'Nur Otan', Meyram Begentaev, stated to the Kazakh political magazine 'Vlast' that he has not yet thought about whether he wants to return to the Majilis. "We just found out about the dissolution," Begentaev said. According to him, in Kazakhstan "there are three parties that are supported by the people – 'Nur Otan', CPK, and 'Ak Zhol'. "We will wait for the decision of the head of state, and then new elections will be announced, and we will prepare, pack our bags," the deputy said.
Under Kazakh law, the President may decide to dissolve the Majilis after consultations with the chairmen of both chambers of parliament and the prime minister, and announce the election no later than two months after the dissolution of the legislative body – in the period from March 13th to 20th.
Other political parties also have already announced their participation. In particular, the People's Democratic Party 'Aul' (Farmers' Party) and the public association 'Birlik political party'. The opposition National Social Democratic Party has not yet decided and will make a decision on participation in the early parliamentary elections after carrying out a congress or a presidium meeting. However, experts tend to believe that the new convening of parliament will remain three-party.
Marat Shibutov believes that three or four parties will get into parliament. It all depends on the activity of the party members themselves. "Essentially, only three parliamentary parties and the new 'Aul' are active. 'Birlik' and the NSDP are kind of sluggish, so I do not think they will be able to get into parliament," the expert said.
Yuri Solozobov also pointed out that the opposition parties of Kazakhstan have one feature: after the elections, they "fall asleep" and do not carry out a constant job. According to him, "for the opposition, elections always come unexpectedly." "They have nothing to offer except epatage statements. But it does not find a response in the hearts of voters," Solozobov said.
