Koshanov Criticizes "Old Kazakhstan" Power Structure

In "Old Kazakhstan," a significant concentration of power and capital was held by "one person," said Majilis Speaker Yerlan Koshanov, Orda.kz reports.

Koshanov made the statement during a plenary session of the Majilis dedicated to political reforms in Kazakhstan. He highlighted that the country had operated under a super-presidential system for 30 years.

For 30 years, Kazakhstan was a country with a super-presidential form of government. However, over time, the model that had been in effect for many years led to a serious political crisis. This was largely due to the excessive concentration of power and capital in certain groups and one person, which irritated society and slowed down the country's development,  said Koshanov.

He recalled that three years ago, Kazakhstan began modernizing its political system, moving away from a governance model where all power was concentrated in the hands of the first President.

In 2022, Qasym-Jomart Toqayev initiated a political transition, aiming to strengthen the role of parliament and shift from a super-presidential system to a presidential one.

Following the January 2022 events, Nursultan Nazarbayev lost almost all government positions.

In early 2025, Toqayev spoke in an interview with Ana Tili about his current relationship with Nazarbayev.

Original Author: Ilya Astakhov