New prime minister of Kazakhstan wants the government to cut expenditures

New Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov has instructed the Ministry of Finance to carry out an audit of the national and municipal budgets in order to cut unnecessary expenditures, according to the cabinet’s press service.

Bektenov has already met with officials responsible for financial and economic issues.

According to the prime minister, all public money must be focused on goals that will eventually provide an economic output, while all unnecessary costs must be cut completely.

«I am ordering the Ministry of Finance to carry out the audit of the national budget within ten days and local budgets within a month to identify less important expenditures that might be cut. No one should throw public money away,» Bektenov highlighted.

On February 5, 2024, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev dismissed the cabinet of Kazakhstan. On the next day, he appointed Olzhas Bektenov as the new prime minister of the country. The vast majority of ministers have kept their positions; only the PM and a few others were let go.