ASTANA – President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree Feb. 5 on the dismissal of the government, reported the Akorda press service.
Baiterek tower, Astana. Photo credit: Damira/Shutterstock.
First Deputy Prime Minister Roman Sklyar was named acting Prime Minister of Kazakhstan in the same decree with incumbent ministers tasked with continuing to fulfill their duties until the formation of the new government.
According to the country’s legislation, the party winning the majority in the most recent elections to the Mazhilis, the lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, is required to nominate a candidate for the Prime Minister. It is then the President’s prerogative to submit this nominee to the Mazhilis for further consideration and approval, should he approve of the choice. Therefore, the Amanat party, which won the majority in 2023, is expected to put forth a candidate for the leadership of the Kazakh government.
Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko, in a statement through his X account, highlighted the upcoming extended government session scheduled for Feb. 7.
“While the attention now is on the composition of the new cabinet, the focus over the next few days will be on the Feb. 7 extended government session with the participation of President Tokayev. It is at this session that the President had earlier promised to present a vision of a new economic policy for Kazakhstan to make its economy more resilient, diversified and fair, while also more attractive for foreign investment,” Vassilenko wrote.
In an earlier announcement, the Akorda press service disclosed plans for an expanded government meeting on Wednesday to review the outcomes of 2023 and outline the key objectives for this year.
Since January 2022, Alikhan Smailov has been at the helm of the government. Earlier in the day, the government announced its forecast for economic development in the year, forecasting the GDP growth of 5.3 percent.
