Kazakhstan Establishes Presidential Reserve Fund Holding Up to 3% of Budget Revenues

The government of Kazakhstan has introduced new rules creating a special "presidential initiative reserve" funded by up to 3% of the national budget’s revenues, Orda.kz reports.

The mechanism allows for the swift allocation of tens — potentially hundreds — of billions of tenge at the President’s discretion, bypassing the usual legislative and public oversight.

What’s Changing?

Beginning in 2025, a separate line item will appear in the national budget specifically for presidential initiatives. This reserve will be formed from 1.5–3% of projected budget revenues (excluding transfers) and is not tied to any particular ministry or region.

It’s intended to fund:

• Emergency social support
  
• Disaster recovery efforts
  
• Ad-hoc infrastructure projects
  
• Key priorities from the president’s annual address to the nation

How it works

The process is designed for speed:

• The President issues a directive
• A government agency submits a proposal to the Finance Ministry
• The ministry has five days to review (and return for revision, if needed)
• Once cleared by the presidential administration, the request is sent to the cabinet
• Upon cabinet approval, the funds are disbursed—no parliamentary debate, no public consultation, and no third-party auditing required
• Unused funds must be returned by December 20 of the same year. The presidential administration has final authority over all allocations and approvals

Original Author: Dinara Bekbolayeva