Kazakh authorities pledge to hold regular meetings with population

A new format of meetings with the authorities was approved in Kazakhstan. The heads of the central and local executive bodies are now obliged to hold meetings with the population in the form of face-to-face communication, Kazakh Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov announced during the Government’s meeting. The authorities must respect the principle of the “responsive state” in the first place, he said, and that means the need to listen to people’s problems and their criticism through a personal reception of citizens. All decisions made will be posted on the official websites of the state bodies. Challenging issues will be considered at the sessions of the Maslikhat.

“Meetings between the population and the authorities at all levels resulted in about 30,000 raised questions and proposals that must be addressed. People need to see that the issues they raise are being solved. In this regard, by the end of the year, the central and local government agencies should continue on holding scheduled meetings with the population in accordance with the approved format. It is necessary to widely cover each meeting, show what has already been done and how other issues will be resolved, by using all modern communications and resources we have,” Smailov said.