The Kazakh CEC has registered candidates from all six parties that are intending to take part in the early parliamentary elections on March 20th – the ruling party 'Nur Otan', the Democratic Party of Kazakhstan 'Ak Zhol', the People's Democratic Patriotic Party 'Auyl', the Communist People's Party 'Birlik' and National Social-Democratic party.
Speaking about the ned for early elections, the director of the Institute of the EAEU, Vladimir Lepekhin, stated that Kazakhstan is a unique country in the post-Soviet space, and Nursultan Nazarbayev is a unique leader. Explaining this uniqueness, Lepekhin stated that it is the only country in the post-Soviet space which is going through real modernization. "So when we say that there is a need for a mandate to continue reforms, we must understand that reforms have constantly been held from the first day that Nazarbayev headed the country. He works in the mode of a leader who solves two problems at the same time, the only keader in the post-Soviet space who manages this. First, it is not easy to stabilize the political situation, because there is, of course, its multi-ethnic composition, external pressures, etc, etc. However, many of his decisions relate to ensuring political and economic stability, but at the same time they provide development."
Nazarbayev, according Lepekhin, is a great strategist: "In Ukraine, for example, five presidents have been changed, and none of them proposed a development strategy. And there is a primitive parliament, a unicameral one, which is a miniature copy of the Maidan. And there is the complex parliament of Kazakhstan, in which balance is achieved. And in many ways this is the strategy of the leader, who oversees the process, the way the balance is managed, providing new data, there is constant experimentation."
The director of the Institute of the EAEU believes that it is important to observe how parties behave, what new leaders are nominated. In his opinion, it is important to also understand about human resources issues, how the Assembly of the Peoples of Kazakhstan works, whom it elects, who is put forward to the local authorities. "And the most important thing is that it is possible to influence the opposition, to give them opportunities to show themselves, including in a negative way, and the other political parties, which in the end should put forward some political leaders whom the elite needs," he believes.
According to him, another problem is to show the West itself how serious the political support is, on the one hand, for the current government, and on the other hand, that the process is quite democratic.
Furthermore, Lepekhin believes that the leader is in old age, he said that the need for early elections is connected with the fact that the model of political system has to change. It is about the transition from super-presidential republic to parliamentary-presidential. "This is absolutely true, but how to ensure a presidential-parliamentary republic if you do not give an opportunity to the elites to show themselves, to engage in some real, peacefully and within the framework of the current legislation, the formats of discussion, however to move the country in the mode of the modernization, of which I spoke? Therefore, in general the transition from a super-presidential republic to a parliamentary or parliamentary-presidential republic is a very complex thing. In fact, we are talking about a political legacy and a tuning mechanism, so it could be possible for Kazakhstan, on the one hand, to develop in a stable condition, and on the other hand, for modernization to be continued. This means that the elites should decide and agree on some arrangements," Lepekhin is sure.
![November 2025 in photos: New Year at GUM, the "City of Living Stories," and autumn scenes](https://en.vestikavkaza.ru/upload2/s400xfull/2025-12-02/1764706769692f49d1538777.83780174.webp "November 2025 in photos: New Year at GUM, the "City of Living Stories," and autumn scenes")
