Speaker of Mazhilis Koshanov: “Power and capital in Kazakhstan have been transferred from one person to government institutions”
According to Yerlan Koshanov, the speaker of the Mazhilis, the lower house of Kazakhstan’s parliament, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has ended the era of the super-presidential model of governance in the country. As a result, the transfer of power and capital from one person to government institutions has been completed.
Today, on March 19, Koshanov delivered a speech before MPs, summarizing the results of the political reforms undertaken in recent years.
«Fifty years is enough to change several generations of people, while an entire society transforms over a century. In other words, something that worked for decades can stop working one day. For more than 30 years, Kazakhstan was governed under a super-presidential system. However, this model, which had been in place for years, eventually led to a deep political crisis. That crisis was primarily driven by the excessive concentration of power and capital in the hands of specific groups and one individual, frustrating society and hindering the country’s development,» the Mazhilis speaker stated.
He also emphasized that these issues triggered a large-scale modernization of Kazakhstan’s political system three years ago.
«We had to move away from a situation where all power was concentrated in the hands of one person. International experience shows that power transfer and delegation from one political institution to another remain subjects of heated debate. In our country, the president has redistributed part of his power among other government institutions and introduced a single seven-year presidential term on his own,» Koshanov added.
The speaker emphasized that by doing this, Tokayev has effectively ended the super-presidential governance model.
«In other words, the previous political architecture and governance principles have been nullified. A completely new political system, with a subtle balance between various branches of government, has been established. Now, alongside the president, we have a renewed, empowered and trusted parliament, cabinet, constitutional court and political parties,» the speaker summarized.
According to Kursiv.media’s survey, over the past five years of Tokayev’s presidency, Kazakhstan’s economy has grown 1.6-fold, from $181.7 billion in 2019 to $288.1 billion in 2024. Over the same period, GDP per capita has risen from $9,800 to $14,300.
