Kazakh president appoints new PM
By Aynur Jafarova
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has appointed a new prime minister for the country.
Based on a presidential decree signed on April 2, Karim Massimov has been appointed as the new Prime Minister of the country. Massimov replaced Serik Akhmetov in the post.
The decree comes into force on the date of its signing but the current cabinet will remain in office until the approval of the new cabinet.
Earlier Massimov served as the head of Kazakhstan's Presidential Administration.
Ex-PM Akhmetov, who headed the Kazakh's cabinet since September 2012, announced his resignation at a cabinet meeting on April 2.
According to the Kazakh constitution, the resignation of the chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers means the resignation of the whole cabinet.
Resignation due to drastic changes inside and outside of country
Kazakh political analyst Daniyar Ashimbayev believes Kazakh cabinet's resignation was due to drastic changes in the external and internal situations.
"Inside and outside changes - devaluation of national currency and the unrest in Ukraine - made the change in the cabinet unavoidable," Ashimbayev told Trend Agency.
He said the current change in the cabinet is not at the level of cabinet buildup but power distribution.
"This means the executive branch would become more active, flexible and efficient to cope with the rapid changes inside and outside of the country," he added.
"Meanwhile, an excessive rivalry emerged between the president's administration headed by Karim Massimov and Kazakh government headed by Serik Akhmetov," Ashimbayev said.
Cabinet resignation result of Kazakh president's policies
Kazakh political scientist, Doctor of Political Sciences Dosym Satpayev believes resignation of the cabinet was not a surprise. On the contrary, it was a belated move resulting from president's policies.
"Some experts expected resignation of the present government at the end of last year following the strong criticism voiced by the head of state," Satpayev told Trend Agency.
Satpayev also noted today Kazakhstan is facing risks inside and outside.
"The external risks are problems with the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space, which cause irritation in Kazakhstan, the conflict between Russia and the West over Ukraine," Satpayev said.
The expert noted Nazarbayev relies on Massimov, who previously served as PM during the global financial crisis, as crisis manager.
"Kazakhstan managed to emerge from the crisis due to serious financial investments in the country's economy when Massimov was the country's PM," Satpayev added.