On September 1, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev delivered his Address to the people of Kazakhstan for the second time this year. This is to say that the country needs deeper reforms, which do not wait for delays. The message not only initiated reforms in the socio-economic sphere, but also in the political sphere. I would particularly like to mention the introduction of the "luxury tax", the increase in the minimum wage, the fixing of the retirement age for women at 61 years until 2028, and the program to transfer half of the investment income of the National Fund of the country to special children's accounts, Delovoy Kazakhstan reports.
In addition, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed to hold early parliamentary and presidential elections in the country. The initiative about early parliamentary and local representative bodies' elections which will be held in Kazakhstan in first half of 2023 was predictable, but Tokayev's proposal about holding early presidential elections already this autumn according to new rules - one term for seven years - caused complete bewilderment. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has two more years of the presidential mandate and an opportunity to nominate himself for the next election. Nevertheless, to hold early presidential elections this fall shows his determination to implement the set tasks by renewing the Government and the Parliament. This step will provide an opportunity to unite efforts towards the implementation of new reforms.
Dr. Mohammed Kamil Al Muaini - Founder & Chairman at Global Centre for Cultural Communication
