New Prime Minister in Kazakhstan

RUSSIA / FSU POLITICS - In Brief 08 Feb 2024 by Alex Teddy
On February 6 Olzhas Bektenov was appointed. Parliament approved Bektenov: 69 voted for him and 7 abstained. None voted against. He vowed that his premiership will be about action not words. He said he will avoid unnecessary meetings and cut bureaucracy. Bektenov said his main task was to carry out the president's order to develop the economy.  Tokayev wants 6% growth per annum and more foreign investment. This will be hard to achieve. In 2023 the economy grew 5% due to exceptionally lucky circumstances: high oil and gas prices, Russians' relocating to Kazakhstan to avoid the war and Russia's buying sanctioned items from the West via Kazakhstan.  Bektenov was previously the president's chief of staff and is 42. He was head of the Anti-Corruption Agency 2022-23. His organization was used selectively to take back wealth form the former President Nazarbayev and his cronies. Bektenov is native Kazakh and was largely unknown until 2024. The man who just served as acting prime minister for 2 days was an ethnic Russian. Most of Bektenov's cabinet are the same people who served under Prime Minister Smailyov who served 2022-24. However, some of them hold different portfolios now.  President Tokayev said the government (i.e., prime minister and cabinet) have 12 months to resolve problems in construction. Many roads far from Astana and Almaty are in parlous state. He also wants to see a 100% increase in financial support for agriculture. Tokayev said that water services are underperforming, and some people are left without heating in winter in a country where it can be -30 degrees Celsius.  Bektenov was presumably promoted because Tokayev believes that he is loyal and personally ...

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