The Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan organized an expert discussion on “Political Transformation of Kazakhstan: Present and Future”.
The event was attended by leading political scientists and specialists in the field of social sciences, public figures, and representatives of the academic environment.
The meeting began with a welcoming speech by Yerkin Tukumov, Director of KazISS under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. In his speech he proposed to discuss the future of “Fair Kazakhstan”.
“We are witnessing massive changes in the country and the world. Reforms affect not only politics and the economy, but all spheres of society. Therefore, it is very important that as many experts from various fields as possible take part in the analysis of the processes taking place. The dynamics of change are such that it is necessary to meet and discuss important issues on an almost weekly basis.
Political modernization, along with the formation of a new economic policy, will undoubtedly cause fundamental changes in society. It is very important to monitor these changes and respond to negative trends in a timely manner. In this matter, we must take into account the views of experts. That is why we invited you here today.
Next year, we will completely revamp the public administration system. But already now we need to understand what risks and challenges we will face. How does society assess the decisions we make? How are its expectations changing? How do we see the future of “Fair Kazakhstan”? These and other questions I propose to discuss today, “- said Yerkin Tukumov.
The first session continued with a discussion of the implementation of political reforms in Kazakhstan and an assessment of the impact of systemic changes on the political situation in the country. The State Counsellor of the Republic of Kazakhstan Erlan Karin took part in the session. In his speech he noted that the ongoing system political reforms in the country form a new institutional design of the state structure with an optimal balance between the branches of power. As a result, a sustainable system of institutions based on the formula “Strong President – influential Parliament – accountable Government” will be formed. In this regard, the political forces in the country need to adhere to two principles – to pursue a responsible policy and follow the policy of common sense.
According to the speakers, the changes in the transition of the country to a new political model create conditions for increasing the participation of each citizen of Kazakhstan in the state governance. The experts once again confirmed the firm commitment of the Head of State to his strategic course of gradual renewal of the political system through political transformation in Kazakhstan.
In the second session, the experts discussed new concepts of civic unity. According to the speakers, the symbols of civil unity in modern society are closely connected with the concepts of sovereignty, independence, citizenship. That is why, in the unstable environment of the global political process, in order to preserve our basic values, as our President said, we need each of us to strengthen unity in every possible way and to adhere firmly to the principles of justice.
