NUR-SULTAN
\nKazakhstan\u2019s State Secretary Erlan Karin and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Roman Vassilenko met with a group of foreign journalists to brief them on the major changes that the upcoming national referendum on June 5 will bring to the Constitution and the political and economic outcomes of the reforms, on June 2-3.
\nKarin mentioned five major blocks in the Constitution that are subject to changes.
\nThose blocks include the transition from super-presidential to a presidential model, strengthening the role and the status of the Parliament, redistribution of the President\u2019s powers, enhancing the participation of the public in the governance of the country, and strengthening the mechanisms for the protection of the citizens\u2019 rights.
\nKarin said all previous amendments to the Constitution were passed through the Parliament, however, given the large-scale changes that affect one-third of the Constitution, it was decided that such changes will require a popular decision, which is in line with the \u201clistening state\u201d concept.
\nAccording to Karin, these reforms are a logical continuation of the previous several packages of reforms proposed by the President since 2019, and not just a response to the January events.
\n\u201cThe reforms are not for the sake of making reforms,\u201d said Karin quoting the words of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. All previous reforms were prepared based on public demand and their implementation was thoroughly monitored.
\nTo illustrate his words with an example, Karin talked about the large amount of work that has been done before introducing direct elections of rural akims (mayors) in 2021. That work included the formation of a rural budget, audit of rural property, and training of over 5,000 rural akim apparatus staff. The aftermath of the first direct elections was also monitored through meetings with akims and the local population.
\nKarin also added a successful implementation of the reforms requires the growth of political activism among the citizens.
\n\u201cReforms should not outpace mental changes [in society]. There must be a certain reset of social values. Citizens, too, must be able to use these new tools for good. We understand that the formation of a new political culture will be a long and difficult process,\u201d said Karin.
\nVassilenko said the constitutional amendments will introduce political, economic, and social changes. Fairness will be the fundamental principle of changes in the political system. \u201cIn the political sphere the aim of the reforms is to make the political system more competitive, more open, thus more stable,\u201d he said.
\nIn the economic sphere, reforms are aimed to \u201ccreate an even playfield for all people and to make sure that everybody has an opportunity to develop their economic ideas.\u201d Vassilenko also added that the reforms are designed to prevent monopolies from having privileged access to resources and infrastructure.
\n\u201cIn social matters, the President has been pushing for another set of reforms for a fair society where nobody is left behind, where revenues primarily from the energy sector are benefiting every member of society,\u201d said Vassilenko.
\nOverall, 33 out of 98 articles of the Constitution will be subject to change as a result of the national referendum.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NUR-SULTAN Kazakhstan\u2019s State Secretary Erlan Karin and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Roman Vassilenko met with a group of foreign journalists to brief them on the major changes that the upcoming national referendum on June 5 will bring to the Constitution and the political and economic outcomes of the reforms, on June 2-3. Karin mentioned […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-264511","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n