In the backdrop of extra-close attention of Kazakhstani public and the media to reshufflings in the administration of government apparatus and quasi-governmental structures, what catches the eye is the lack of interest to hiring decisions of N. Nazarbaev in Nur-Otan. Meanwhile, in the past half a year president drastically renewed its administration.
Back in late October 2017 Nazarbaev appointed former akim of Shymkent – 42-year old Gabidulla Abdrahimov who until Aug. 2015 worked as a deputy head of administration of the president of RK and had a masters in government adminsitration as the secretary of Nur Otan.
On February 1 2018 47-year-old member of Majilis Maulen Ashimbaev – candidate of political science, who worked in 2006-2011 as the deputy head of administration of the president of RK and in 2016 graduated from the Fletcher school of law and diplomacy of Tufts University became first deputy head of Nur Otan party
On Feb. 22 2018 leader of the Nur Otan party appointed as the secretary of this political organization 52-year-old Tamara Duisenova, whom a bit earlier was relieved of her position as the minister of labor and social security of RK due to “tiredness” at the job.
Judging from the information on the website of the party, out of five former leaders of Nur Otan, namely 58-year old first deputy chairman Mukhtar Kul Muhamed, secretaries: 67-year old Zautbek Turisbekov, 50-year-old Farhd. Kuanganov, 50-year-old Kanibek Jumashev and 46-year-old Natalia Godunova,only two lasted: Kuanaov and Jumasev. And only the last one de-facto transferred to a different job – as the chairwoman of the audit chamber for control of execution of republican budget of RK.
In our opinion, this means that president of RK, leader of the nation and the head of the Nur Otan party, is highly unsatisfied with how the latter operates. But he doesn’t have any other methods for mobilization of party apparatus, activization of work of local and regional organizations, boosting the role and influence of Nur Otan in domestic policy process, other than by changing top-managers.
At the same time, there is a fact that appointments and layoffs of the first deputy secretary and secretaries of Nur Otan are done unilaterally through decisions of Nazarbaev himself, rather than through mechanism of elections at the convention of the political party or session of political committee. This is why, we don’t really rely on the chance of Maulen Ashimbaev and his team reviving Nur Otan, turning it from a shell into a real political force.
In order to revive Nur Otan, too much has to be done including: separating the political party from the super-presidential vertical, by starting from the very top, allowing the existence of super-factions and inter faction competition, allowing inner-party discussion, including on quite sensitive subjects for Akorda and the leader of the nation, getting rid of the “dead weight” that is unwilling members of the party, give opportunity to party organizations to really influence state politics, on all levels from aul to state.
Obviously, such a “perestroika” of the “ruling” political party is possible only in case it becomes the part of perestroika of the entire government regime of the country and its political system, the way it happened in USSR in 1986-1991. It is unlikely, that the leader of the nation and his political successor/s will risk taking such a move, remembering how perestroika ended for Soviet bureaucracy and Gorbachev himself.
Due to this indicating already is the fact that the new secretary of Nur Otan Gvabidulla Aabdrakhimov led with him into apparatus a slew of his friends.
Thus, Rashid Ayupov was appointed chairman of Nur Otan in Kazakhstan government and Danat Jumin – deputy head of the department of political work of the central apparatus of the party. Earlier the former held the position of the head of apparatus of the akim of Shymket, the latter was his unofficial advisor.
