Elections in cities and districts should be completely transferred to the majoritarian system, experts in Kazakhstan believe. This initiative announced by the President during his address will allow creating a competitive environment in the regions. The new changes will help improve the system of local self-government, political scientists said.
“Now the MPs of district and city maslikhats will not depend on any political party. I think that these issues will make a great contribution to the political development of our country,” said Turar Shaikhiyev, a political scientist.
The package of large-scale political reforms announced by the President also includes the simplification of the procedure for registering political parties. The Head of State suggested lowering the membership threshold from 20,000 to 5,000. The number of people in regional offices will be reduced three times - from 600 to 200 people. The number of citizens of the initiative group for the creation of a party has also decreased - from 1,000 to 700.
“I think it will boost competition. Every person who considers him- or herself an authority in the region or district they live in can gather not 20,000, but 5,000 people and thereby open a party. Whether it will make it to Parliament or not is another question, but the fact is that every person must be and will be heard by the listening state. This fully speaks of the democratization and liberalization of the society, so I think it will soon bear fruit,” noted Samat Nurtaza, a political scientist.
Translation by Saniya Sakenova and Saule Mukhamejanova
Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova
