Nazarbayev is preparing the country for reformation

The NKVD of Kazakhstan will be the first to know about this

President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev yesterday completed the formation of a new government to replace the cabinet headed by Danial Akhmetov, who was dismissed on January 9 . Most of the ministers retained their posts, and Karim Masimov , the president's favorite, was entrusted with heading the government. Now this 41-year-old Doctor of Economics, who was educated in China and Russia and who managed to put forward a number of ambitious strategic ideas for the country’s development during his year as Deputy Prime Minister, can take the risk of bringing his ideas to life.

However, by replacing the heads of only three ministries, Nazarbayev had the opportunity to make a multi-step personnel combination that allows us to talk about preparation for serious changes in the domestic and foreign policy of Kazakhstan. This year will not be easy for Astana, which in December will have to take a serious exam for the right to become OSCE chairman in 2009. As is known, in December 2006, at a meeting of the OSCE Council of Ministers, for the first time in the history of this organization, it was not possible to timely approve the candidacy of the future chairman . Kazakhstan did not receive consensus support due to the discrepancy between the level of democratization of the country and international standards. Astana was given exactly a year to correct its image.

The way Mr. Nazarbayev has transplanted senior officials suggests that he is not happy with the current political landscape. So, the long-time head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kasymzhomart Tokayev, was promoted to senator (he left him for several years only to work as prime minister. - Ed. ). Tokayev became not just a senator, but the speaker of the upper house of parliament, that is, according to the constitution, the second person in the state. He took the place of Nurtai Abykayev, who received the post of Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Moscow. With this castling, Mr. Nazarbayev killed two birds with one stone. Firstly, it forestalled the undesirable scenario of transfer of power in a force majeure situation, similar to the one that occurred in a neighboring country after the sudden death of the “head of all Turkmens.” It is known that in Ashgabat, simultaneously with the news of Niyazov’s death, they also reported the arrest of the Speaker of Parliament Atayev , who according to the constitution was supposed to become, albeit temporary, the head of state. Ataev in this capacity did not suit Niyazov’s entourage, and urgent measures had to be taken. It didn't turn out pretty.

In Astana, the same post was held by Nurtai Abykayev, and he does not suit those around President Nazarbayev, primarily his eldest daughter Dariga and her husband, the head of the influential oligarchic clan Rakhat Aliyev. The focus was placed on Abykaev in the investigation into the murder of the famous opposition leader Altynbek Sarsenbaev that happened in February 2006 - the head of the Senate Speaker's staff was named as the mastermind of the crime...

Secretary of the Security Council Marat Tazhin became the new head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and his place was taken by the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United States, Kanat Saudybaev, who was urgently summoned from Washington. This exchange, according to informed analysts in Astana, should help the country’s leadership cope with the troubles that threaten it in connection with the trial starting in February in the United States in the scandalous “Kazakhgate” case about corruption in the highest echelons of power in Kazakhstan.

And finally, the main thing. All these reshuffles, similar to a game of tag - among the shuffled politicians, essentially, not a single new figure is visible - are a prelude to Nazarbayev's announcement of his long-promised program for reforming the country's political system. According to Vremya Novostei, it may be made public in late January at a meeting of the National Commission for Democratization (in the country it is lovingly called the NKVD).

Arkady DUBNOV