Baku, Azerbaijan, April 3
By Elena Kosolapova - Trend:
The resignation of the Kazakh government didn't come as a surprise, according to the executive director of the Centre for Political Science, North-South, Alexei Vlasov.
"Kazakhstan is such an amazing country that we can predict reshuffle in any department ranging from the presidential administration to parliament every month. In this case, a predictor necessarily gets to the point sooner or later," Vlasov told Trend on April 3.
He recalled that some analysts have predicted the resignation of Kazakhstan's Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov since December 2013. However, Akhmetov was a quite worthy prime minister by the standards of the country seeking to enter the top 30 of the most competitive countries in the world, according to Vlasov.
"Serik Akhmetov wasn't doing great deeds, but at the same time he wasn't making tragic mistakes," the executive director said.
However, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev decided that it is time for a change, and none other than Karim Massimov headed the Cabinet of Ministers, according to the expert.
"Karim Massimov, Marat Tajin, Kairat Kelimbetov, Krymbek Kusherbayev and many other Kazakhstani elites have been moving in a vicious circle by a firm hand of the president for many years. There is a need to do something special in order to be out of this cage... In this situation, the return of Massimov to the Cabinet of Ministers is the restoration of historical justice, since no other prime minister has looked at the prime minister's chair as authentically as Karim Massimov," Vlasov said.
Meanwhile, Massimov's situation is related to the case where the place does not make a man but a man the place, according to the expert.
Vlasov stressed that possible changes in economic policy are currently important issues. Perhaps, Nazarbayev decided on a personnel rotation right now namely for such changes," the expert said.
"If the economic forecasts are negative and the foreign policy risks systematically increase, then a technocrat but not a subtle politician should head the Cabinet of Ministers. And Karim Massimov is that politician who is equally relevant in any position to which he can be potentially appointed by the president," Vlasov said.
Earlier, Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov resigned and his resignation was accepted by the president. The resignation of the Cabinet of Ministers head means resignation of the whole government, according to Kazakhstan's legislation. Meanwhile, the ministers will continue to perform their duties until new appointments, according to the country's legislation.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev proposed the candidacy of Karim Massimov to the post of the new prime minister. Massimov previously held this post from 2007 to 2012. The candidacy was approved by Kazakhstan's parliament.
Translated by L.Z.
Edited by C.N.