Kazakhstan plans to establish post of Vice President
Images | akorda.kz
Addressing the Ulttyq Qurultay, the Head of State announced Kazakhstan plans to establish the post of Vice President, Qazinform News Agency reports.
President Kassym‑Jomart Tokayev announced a major new initiative, proposing the creation of the institution of Vice President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to be enshrined in the Constitution.
The Head of State also suggested abolishing the position of State Counselor, currently held by Yerlan Karin.
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Tokayev: MPs to elect all Supreme Court judges under new proposal
Images | akorda.kz
At the 5th session of the Ulttyq Qurultay (National Assembly), Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev outlined proposals to expand the Parliament's powers in forming several key state bodies, Qazinform News Agency reports.
As the Head of State pointed out, the second set of initiatives concerns the Parliament's competencies in forming the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Audit Chamber, and the Central Election Commission. Presently, he reminded, the powers to shape these bodies are shared between the Majilis, the Senate, and the President.
At the same time, he noted that all members of these structures are proposed to be appointed exclusively with the consent of the Parliament.
Furthermore, the initiatives involve empowering MPs to elect all Supreme Court judges upon the President's recommendation.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized that putting these proposals into effect will mark a major milestone in developing Kazakhstan's parliamentarism and bolstering the system of checks and balances between the branches of government.
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Tokayev proposes naming new parliament "Qurultay" with streamlined structure
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President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has proposed naming the new unicameral parliament "Qurultay" and outlined the key parameters of its structure, Qazinform News Agency reports.
The Head of State emphasized that there is no need to increase the number of MPs, and that the parliament should be composed of genuine patriots and highly qualified professionals.
It was suggested that the total number of seats should be 145. The number of deputy chairpersons - three, and the number of committees should not exceed eight," the President said.
The new unicameral parliament will be elected for a five-year term.
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V Ulttyq Qurultay starts its work in Kyzylorda
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Day 2 of the V Ulttyq Qurultay (National Assembly), with the participation of the Head of State, started its work in Kyzylorda, Qazinform News Agency reports.
State Counselor Yerlan Karin unveiled the National Assembly.
As reported earlier, the Head of State, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, is expected to address those gathered.
Experts and public figures are set to debate the key directions of Kazakhstan’s development.
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Aliya Adambayeva tapped to lead Dara Presidential Initiatives Foundation
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Aliya Adambayeva has been appointed President of the Dara Presidential Initiatives Foundation as per the decision of the Board of Trustees, Qazinform News Agency reports.
Aliya Adambayeva brings over 25 years of professional experience across the media, public, and financial sectors.
Throughout her career, she has held several high-level leadership roles, including Deputy Chairperson and Member of the Management Board of the Almaty Development Center, and Director of the Information and Communications Department within the press service of the National Bank of Kazakhstan.
The newly-appointed head of the Foundation holds a degree in Journalism and a Master’s degree in Economics and Business. Her academic credentials also include an MBA and an Executive MBA.
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Kazakhstan forming a new political model - Tokayev
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Summing up the results of the meeting of the working group on parliamentary reform in Astana, President Kassym‑Jomart Tokayev stated that nearly half a year has passed since the start of discussions on the constitutional reform, Qazinform News Agency cites the Akorda press service.
He said that during this time the society has developed a clear understanding of the goals and objectives of transforming the country’s supreme legislative body.
The Head of State emphasized that he closely follows public debates that began after his Address to the Nation delivered last September, carefully reviewing the outcomes of discussions, expert opinions, draft amendments, and numerous proposals of the citizens.
Speaking about the significance of reforming the political system, the President stressed that the country faces a deep reconstruction of institutional foundations and a systemic reformatting of the legislative branch of power.
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Bread Prices, Expanded Price Controls, and Early Harvest Procurement: Government Discusses Inflation Stabilization Measures
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The first meeting of the new year on inflation stabilization was held at the Government under the chairmanship of Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of National Economy Serik Zhumangarin, primeminister.kz reports.
As noted by First Vice Minister of Trade and Integration Aizhan Bizhanova, the updated list of socially important food products came into force on January 4 this year and is already demonstrating initial results. Since the beginning of the year, the food price index has amounted to +0.2%, which is three times lower than the figure for the same period last year (+0.7%).
Positive dynamics have been recorded for product categories that were previously not covered by state price regulation.
Since the beginning of the year, prices for dairy products have declined: sour cream by 0.2%, milk by 0.3%, and cheese by 0.6%. In the fruit and vegetable subgroup, prices decreased for tomatoes by 1%, cucumbers by 3.7%, and apples by 1.5%. A decline in prices was also noted for other food products included in the expanded list, such as rice, tea, and certain types of meat and fish products.
The meeting emphasized that the expansion of the list of socially important food products is temporary and aimed at smoothing price fluctuations in the food market. As the situation stabilizes, the list will be gradually returned to the base 19 items.
At the same time, price increases persist for certain food products, including sunflower oil, butter, and cottage cheese. The rise in prices is mainly associated with imported products as well as external price conditions. According to FAO data, by the end of 2025 the average global vegetable oil price index amounted to 161.6 points, which is 17.1% higher than the previous year and represents the highest level over the past three years amid constrained global supply.
To restrain prices on the domestic market, the Ministry of Trade and Integration is working on a memorandum with the National Association of Oilseed Processors предусматривающий the fixation of wholesale prices for products this year. Similar arrangements are being developed with domestic producers for eggs, poultry meat, salt, and potatoes.
The situation with rising prices for socially important bread in the Turkestan region was also discussed separately. Of the three bakeries in the region, one allowed a price increase due to higher production costs and a shortage of subsidized flour. The situation has now been stabilized and the price reduced. The Deputy Prime Minister instructed the Food Contract Corporation, together with JSC NC KTZ, to conduct an operational analysis of the availability of subsidized flour in the regions and, if necessary, ensure uninterrupted supplies of discounted grain.
Prices for vegetables and apples generally remain stable. The wholesale price for potatoes in January is maintained within the range of 150-170 tenge per kilogram, which corresponds to the ceiling levels established by the memorandum between the Ministry of Trade and Integration and the Union of Potato Growers.
At the same time, exports of potatoes and carrots continue to increase, placing additional pressure on the domestic market. In this regard, to stabilize prices in the regions, the release of vegetables from stabilization funds has begun.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, of the formed reserves totaling 247 thousand tons, 35.8 thousand tons have been sold. In a number of regions, insufficient activity in selling products at affordable prices has been noted. In this connection, Serik Zhumangarin instructed akimats to ensure the sale of the main volume of last year’s harvest stocks by the end of February.
The Ministry of Trade and Integration, together with QazTrade, was instructed to ensure supplies of early harvest produce from neighboring countries starting in March. By the end of the year, around 6,000 agricultural fairs are planned to be held nationwide.
In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister instructed to update the action plan for price stabilization, taking into account the current price dynamics.
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