NUR-SULTAN – Communist People’s Party of Kazakhstan (CCPK) unanimously nominated April 26 CCPK Central Committee Secretary and Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament) Deputy Zhambyl Akhmetbekov as the party’s candidate for Kazakhstan’s June 9 presidential election.
CCPK Central Committee Secretary and Mazhilis (lower house of Parliament) Deputy Zhambyl Akhmetbekov. Photo credit: parlam.kz.
“Thank you to the congress for placing your confidence in me. I must justify it,” said Akhmetbekov at the 14th CCPK congress, during which the nomination took place.
Akhmetbekov was also the party’s candidate for the 2011 election, during which he won 1.36 percent of the overall vote.
Born in the Tselinograd Region, 58-year-old is a graduate of the Tselinograd Agricultural Institute and KIMEP University and previously served as CCPK Central Committee Head and Chief of Staff, Korgalzhyn District Akim’s (Mayor’s) Office’s Organisation and Control Department Head and Chief Specialist, Korgalzhyn District Administration’s Culture Department Head and Youth, Tourism and Sport Department Head, Tengiz District’s Culture Department Head, Druzhbinsk High School Military-Patriotic Education Deputy Director and Sunkar Lyceum Military-Physical Training Deputy Director, as well as a platoon commander. He also was a member in Kazakhstan’s youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
Akhmetbekov’s platform centres on addressing poverty and promoting economic integration with neighbouring countries.
“We will take part in the elections to bring attention to certain problems, and we intend to propose alternative ways of improving citizens’ well-being,” said CCPK Central Committee Secretary Aikyn Konurov. “It is necessary to recalculate the level of poverty, continue integrating within the Eurasian Economic Union and the Belt and Road Initiative and develop an educational system on the best practices of the Soviet educational system.”
“We are the advocates of the working masses,” added CCPK Central Committee Secretary Dmitry Lehkiy. “We want fundamental changes, such as the election of akims at all levels.”
The CPPK also seeks social security expansion, restoration of state ownership in key economic sectors and integration with Commonwealth of Independent States countries. “Honest work for the good of society,” the party’s slogan reads.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced early presidential elections April 9 in a televised address to the nation. The former senate speaker assumed the office of President March 20 per the Kazakh Constitution following former President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s resignation March 19 from the office he had held for nearly 30 years.
Nur Otan recently nominated 65-year-old Tokayev, Uly Dala Qyrandary nominated 64-year-old Qazanat Editor-in-Chief and Kazakh Federation of National Equestrian Sports President Sadybek Tugel, Ak Zhol nominated 58-year-old Mazhilis Deputy Daniya Yespayeva, the Kazakh Federation of Trade Unions nominated 59-year-old Territorial Association of the West Kazakhstan Region’s Trade Unions Chairman Amangeldy Taspikhov and Auyl Party nominated 54-year-old National Agrarian Research and Education Centre Chairman Toleutay Rakhimbekov as their candidates for the June 9 election. The National Social Democratic Party chose not to participate in the election at its April 26 congress, while one of its promiment members, 54-year-old Amirzhan Kossanov, was nominated by the Ult Tagdyry public association, bringing to seven the number of nominated candidates.
The Central Election Commission now needs to verify the candidates compliance with the legal requirements to run for the president before recognising them as legitimate candidates.
