Articles by ASSEL SATUBALDINA

ASTANA – Seven political parties in Kazakhstan submitted their party lists with a total of 283 candidates to the Central Election Commission (CEC) to participate in the March 19 elections to the Mazhilis, the lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, as the nomination period ended on Feb. 8 at 6 p.m., announced CEC Deputy Chair…

ASTANA – Central Asia needs a shared vision on addressing climate change, energy and water risks, and one that balances each of the region’s country’s interests. That is one of the key takeaways of a panel session with regional experts hosted by Harvard University’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies on Jan. 30. Experts…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visited the Zhambyl Region in southern Kazakhstan on Feb. 3, touring the region’s agricultural facilities and highlighting its enormous yet untapped potential, according to the presidential press service.  One of the first sites in his program was the Aulie-Ata Phoenix poultry farm, located in the Myrzatai village of the Baizak…

ASTANA – Helping children became a mission for Aruzhan Audanbekova, whose Ertis Mektebi School project aimed at providing mainstream education to children from the East Kazakhstan Region affected by nuclear testing made it to the final of the Peace, Nuclear Abolition and Climate Engaged Youth (PACEY) Awards competition on Jan. 21.  Audanbekova, a native of…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission (CEC) accredited 25 international observers for the upcoming elections to the Mazhilis, a lower chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, and the maslikhats, local representative bodies, said CEC Secretary Mukhtar Yerman at a Feb. 2 CEC meeting in Astana.   “As of today, 25 observers from one state and two international…

ASTANA – Plans for the development of Kazakhstan’s capital city Astana were in the spotlight of a Jan. 30 meeting in Akorda with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, ministers, Astana akim (mayor) Zhenis Kassymbek and other senior officials in charge of the capital.  Astana, the capital city that received back its better known name after a switch…

ASTANA – The political agenda of 2023 in Kazakhstan will be determined by the vector of political reforms set forward by the country’s leadership, according to State Counselor Erlan Karin. “First of all, it concerns the continuation of the practical implementation of the results of the national referendum to update the Constitution of the country,”…

ASTANA – Reigning Wimbledon champion and Kazakhstan’s top seed Elena Rybakina yielded to Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus 6-4, 3-6, 4-6 in the women’s singles final on Jan. 28 at Australian Open 2023. The game at the Rod Laver Arena was intense for both world’s 22nd seed Elena Rybakina and fifth seed Aryna Sabalenka.  Rybakina, 23,…

ASTANA – Maulen Ashimbayev, 51, was unanimously voted by the deputies of the Senate on Jan. 26 as Kazakhstan’s Senate Chairperson after President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed his candidacy for the position.  After addressing the newly elected and appointed deputies of the upper chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, President Tokayev put forward Ashimbayev’s candidacy for the…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan will spend 143 billion tenge (US$311.5 million) in 2023 to implement 1,500 projects in 736 villages across the country as part of the Auyl – El Besigi (the Village is the Birthplace of a Nation) project, according to the Kazakh Ministry of National Economy, which is in charge of the project.  The…

ASTANA – Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appointed ten new deputies to the Senate, an upper house of the Kazakh Parliament on Jan. 24, reported the Akorda press service.  The President’s right to appoint ten deputies to the Senate, which consists of 50 deputies, is enshrined in the country’s Constitution. Five of them are recommended by…

ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission compiled a list of eligible voters for the Mazhilis and maslikhat election, including 11,976,406 citizens with the active right to vote, reported the CEC press service.  The largest number of voters – 1,177,507 – is registered in the Turkistan Region, the smallest – 138,277 – in the Ulytau Region,”…

ASTANA – At least 56 Afghan women are continuing their studies in Kazakhstan’s universities as part of Kazakhstan’s year-long efforts to support Afghan nationals whose country is now in economic and social turmoil. The young women are participants of an academic scholarship program launched by Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan and funded by the European Union…

ASTANA – Two weeks into 2023, Kazakhstan prepares for Senate elections, the upper chamber of the Kazakh Parliament, on Jan. 14, which will have 55 candidates competing for 20 seats in the Senate. The registration of candidates wrapped up at 6 p.m. on Dec. 24. Out of 130 nominated candidates, fifty-five candidates, including 18 women…

ASTANA – Economic growth in Central Asia is projected to remain flat at 3.9 percent in 2023, dragged down by weak external demand, rising inflation and global supply chain disruptions, according to the World Bank’s latest Global Economic Prospects report released on Jan. 11. In 2022, the growth reached 3.9 percent, down from 5.1 percent…

ASTANA – The Constitutional Court, which began its work in Kazakhstan on Jan. 1, ruled on its first decision, repealing the law on the First President that granted Nursultan Nazarbayev exclusive rights and privileges, including retention of his and his family’s financial wealth and immunity from actions made while president and after, reports the court’s…

The past week in Kazakhstan witnessed several important appointments, signaling one significant and positive trend in the government – more young voices are rising to the highest ranks of the cabinet.  Amid the current government’s efforts to fulfill the tasks set by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, from energy to housing, it is inspiring to see that…

ASTANA – The Kazakh Prosecutor General’s Office and the Kazakh Ministry of Internal Affairs delivered their reports on Jan. 5 on the investigation into the tragic January events that shocked the nation exactly one year ago.  One year into the worst unrest the country has seen over the years of independence that left at least…

ASTANA – The first working day of 2023 in Kazakhstan on Jan. 4 featured some significant reshuffles in the government, sending a strong message from the government that they are embracing younger and more progressive voices. Zulfiya Suleimenova made the headlines, becoming the youngest minister at 32 after she was appointed the Minister of Ecology…

Welcoming 2022, the people of Kazakhstan hoped it would bring more good to the world, which is still reeling from two years of uncertainty and the pandemic that took many lives. 2022 can hardly be called an easy year – the ongoing pandemic, rising geopolitical confrontations, economic slowdown, and war. It reminded us all of…

ASTANA – Kazakh Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Aibek Smadiyarov wrapped up the results of the ministry’s work in 2022 at a press briefing on Dec. 28, highlighting a packed diplomatic schedule the country has had this year.  “This year, we have done a lot of work on the foreign policy track, several major international events were…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a law on Dec. 26 to amend the country’s legislative acts on youth policy and social security, reported the Akorda press service. The law envisages fixing women’s retirement age at 61 years by 2028, extending child care allowances from 12 to 18 months, increasing the age of youth from…

ASTANA – President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s state visit to Uzbekistan last week was under the spotlight of an international conference on Dec. 27 titled Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Prospects for the Development of Strategic Partnership and Alliance, reported the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies (KazISS).  Experts discussed political dialogue and new strategic prospects for cooperation in economy,…

ASTANA – Less than a month after the Kazakh Ministry of Justice registered a new party called Baitak, it paves the way for green reformists in the country, part of a broader reform agenda in Kazakhstan. The Astana Times spoke to Baitak party chair Azamatkhan Amirtai about the party’s priorities, objectives and plans ahead of…

ASTANA – Svevind, the company behind Europe’s largest wind farm in Sweden, is running a green hydrogen project in the Mangystau Region, seeking to establish Kazakhstan as a reliable supplier of green energy in the form of hydrogen and ammonia for the global markets, said the company’s CEO Wolfgang Kropp in an interview with The…