On October 26, 2022, the candidate for the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, in his election program, announced three main principles on which he intends to rely: fair state, fair economy and fair society. The program covers all areas of the country’s activities and is aimed at ensuring the stability of the country in the face of a difficult geopolitical situation in the world.
FIRST PRINCIPLE – A FAIR STATE is aimed at political modernization in the country. Conditions will be created for healthy political competition, civilized public discussion, which will allow the formation of a mature and responsible electoral culture among the population in the future. The role of independent mass media, trade unions, NGOs, public movements will be strengthened. A system of local government will be formed through the direct election of Mayor of cities and regions. An important innovation will be the election of the President for a seven-year term without the right to re-election for a second term.
The changes will also affect the state apparatus, digitalization will be introduced everywhere for remote interaction between the state and citizens and businesses in order to prevent corruption risks. Civil servants will be required to have high moral character, professional skills and will be selected on the basis of a fair competition.
THE SECOND PRINCIPLE IS A FAIR ECONOMY. The government will create all conditions for conducting legitimate business activities. A balanced and transparent tax policy will be pursued, and law-abiding businessmen will be protected from unreasonable administrative pressure and interference from inspection structures. By 2025, the State governments plans to reduce its presence in the economy to 14%.
The development of the chemical and manufacturing industries will continue. New transparent “rules of work” in geology will be built to launch large-scale exploration work with the involvement of large investors with advanced technologies.
Particular attention will be paid to the agricultural sector. Rural residents will gain access to land by returning land plots unused by large owners to state ownership. Efficient water-saving technologies will be introduced, melioration and irrigation systems will be restored; it is planned to launch a large-scale project on the organization of agricultural cooperatives, covering more than 1 million village citizens.
The construction of new housing and the modernization of housing and communal infrastructure will continue in all regions. Mortgage lending under the 7-20-25 program will continue its work. Work is underway to ensure 100% provision of all settlements with water supply services, high-quality roads, stable cellular communications and high-speed Internet.
THE THIRD PRINCIPLE IS A FAIR SOCIETY. The well-being of society can be improved only if talented and educated citizens live and work in the country. To do this, the most comfortable conditions for learning will be created in the country. The shortage of kindergartens, schools and student hostels has been eliminated. It is planned to open at least 7000 modern school classrooms of robotics, chemistry, biology and physics; children’s health camps, schoolchildren’s palaces, stations for young technicians, children’s technology parks, music and art schools; each child who wishes will be given the opportunity to attend sports sections or creative circles free of charge; the amount of scholarships for students will increase by 2 times; conditions will be created for teachers for creative work and their release from unusual functions. Interaction with young people will be given special attention, as they are the driving force behind development in society.
Separately, the candidate Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted science and his vision of its development – “Progressive applied science”. It was noted that the state will create conditions for the production of high-tech products. Therefore, science should be focused on new production technologies. The work of domestic scientists should be aimed at solving such issues as improving the construction of roads, modernizing agriculture, and increasing the efficiency of industry. Such work should be carried out in close cooperation between the government, science and business. To achieve the goals set, the following steps will be taken: a gradual increase in funding for applied science, including through co-financing of scientific research by large businesses; creation of conditions for the commercialization of the results of scientific and scientific and technical activities, in particular, through the allocation of grants.
The pre-election message of K. Tokayev has a clear plan of action, taking into account the possibilities and resources of the country. The main requirement for achieving the goal, according to him, is the unification and work of every citizen. Only under such conditions, it is possible to change the political system, the economy and improve the well-being of the people of Kazakhstan. The program of the current President is aimed at solving new and specific tasks, and the main principle of the proposed program is justice.