Extraordinary presidential elections will be held in Kazakhstan

The President of Kazakhstan Kasym-Jomart Tokaev proposed to hold extraordinary presidential elections this fall.

"I propose to hold extraordinary presidential elections this autumn. A new mandate of the public's trust is necessary for the successful implementation of fundamental and comprehensive reforms to build a just Kazakhstan," he said.

In addition, he announced an amnesty for the participants of the January protests, except for the organizers of the riots and those accused of treason and attempts to change power by violence.

Tokaev also suggested holding elections to the Majlis (lower house of Parliament) and Maslahat (local self-government body) in 2023.

Economic reforms include:

a "new economic direction" will appear in the country, which includes abandoning the state's intervention in price formation;

A new Tax Code will be developed in 2023;

a luxury tax may appear, it will not apply to the middle class;

the minimum wage will be increased by 10,000 tenge (230,000 soums), the minimum pension value will also increase;

the retirement age for women will be set at 61 until 2028;

50% of the annual investment income of the National Fund is transferred to special savings accounts for children (up to the age of 18).

In addition, policies regarding immigration and internal migration will change. Punishment for domestic violence will be increased.