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President Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev has dismissed ‘rumours’ he will try to amend the Constitution to be able to stand for another term in 2026.
In an interview with the official Egemen Qazaqstan newspaper, Tokayev also, in the most direct way ever, blamed the deadly January 2022 unrest on his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev’s blunders both in running the country and attempting to stay ‘in charge’ even after stepping down as president.
Tokayev described speculation that he might seek another seven-year term in 2026 as “disinformation”.
“I am convinced that wilful changes to the Constitution, especially regarding such a fundamental issue, are no longer possible,” he said in the interview published on Wednesday.
“The provision on single-term presidency is unchangeable. It is as inviolable as the provisions about our independence, unitarity, territorial integrity and form of government.”
Tokayev named as one of the factors behind the January 2022 unrest the accumulation of social and economic problems and “the general stagnation that had led to the degradation of power and society” in the preceding years.
Tokayev said his efforts, when he took over in 2019, “to democratise the political system, liberalise social life, and demonopolize the economy” were taken by some “influential people” as “a threat to the status quo and their privileged position”.
“On their part there was growing covert, and sometimes overt, resistance to the reforms. Eventually, in order to reverse the changes and restore the old order, they went for extreme measures,” Tokayev said.
“That group of highly placed people had enormous influence within law-enforcement bodies and the criminal world, therefore they chose to organise a violent seizure of power.”
Tokayev said that “the country was close to plunging into chaos,” and he was “repeatedly” advised to leave the presidential residence because of expected assaults on it, but he “resolutely disagreed” to do that.
He said that the January crisis was also a result of former president Nazarbayev’s unwillingness to fully part with power.
Nazarbayev’s power transition scenario led to “attempts to impose a diarchy” – “some political manipulators formed a kind of a parallel centre of power”.
“That could not but eventually lead to a power struggle,” Tokayev said.
Tokayev said he had later told Nazarbayev in person that “the country had been brought to the brink of being torn apart by his closest associates’ political games”.
“I think there cannot be ‘a senior and a junior president’. If you are leaving, leave,” Tokayev added.
Speaking about Kazakhstan’s foreign policy priorities, Tokayev said that in the “current difficult geopolitical conditions” it was important for the country “to develop mutually beneficial and pragmatic cooperation with all foreign partners, first of all with our neighbours.”
He said the Russian presidential election scheduled for March next year was of “particular interest” for Kazakhstan.
“It must be understood that the Russian Federation plays an exclusively important role in world politics,” he said.
Speaking about relations with China, Tokayev said “we must have no fears [about it], imported from others or based on our old perceptions”.
“China today is a highly developed nation, including in the sphere of high technologies … Therefore, Kazakhstan must make the most of friendly ties with China,” Tokayev said.
