President’s post in Kazakhstani is in top 50 for a long time

By Victor ABNORTSEV

Ability to rule can’t be learned from books

P. Kornel

While the government making believe that it struggles to enter into 50 most developed countries on the planet, there is an option, by which Kazakhstan has very high rating for a long time. In this moment we are not taking about territories or natural uranium resources – there the man’s function is mediate, but generally its nature’s merit and the long arm of coincidence. However, the president’s post and possibilities opened by it is the result of invested human labor. President’s chair in Kazakhstan simply magnifying in terms of perspectives opened in front of its owner. In this reason its place in 50 of most sacred governmental posts all over the planet. That’s why it should be cherished like an apple in his eyes; because pretenders are still here.

From the number about 200 of UN nations not all of them have the president post. Somewhere is monarchy (constitutional or absolute), some have enough of parliament republic. Also there are “wedding presidents”, whose functions in their states are limited to strictly representative, and the head of the government is in charge of everything else (prime minister of chancellor). All such variants have nothing related to Kazakhstan. The president of the Republic of Kazakhstan has more real powers than the president of USA or Morocco’s king.

To build up the impression of sorts about possibilities in hands of president of Kazakhstan, it’s enough to mention, that above supply managers (person in charge of financial support of the head of the state activities) one time he had official billionaire – Bulat Utemuradov. Visible (white wealth) share of Vladimir Ni’s property, the old supply manager, is going off scale at $300mln.

State system of Kazakhstan is established in such way, that by objective evaluation nobody in the country can have more financial resources than the president. Considering that the first and yet only president of Kazakhstan for the time of independency is Nursultan Nazarbayev, its only guess, who much he “costs”.

Money is of course important component of presidential possibilities, but far away from the only. Few people over the Earth for last decades made virtually personal decision about moving the capital from one place to another. President Nazarbayev made it by moving status of main city from Almaty to Astana. Building of the capital is one of favorite hobbies of Nursultan Nazarbayev. Ferdinand Marcos, ex-president of Philippines, who wasted fabulous money on thousands of his wife’s dresses or Romanian leader Nicolae Ceausescu, who had jewelry for over $400mln, simply fading in their inquiries and possibilities in front of Ak Orda keeper.

There are very wide possibilities of presidential rule in Kazakhstan, event on neighbor political regimes background, among post-soviet states. In Russia bureaucracy by its own is stronger than the president’s post. It has checks and balances mechanisms, lobbying its interests. Russian president compared to Kazakhstani one has bounded field to maneuver and forced to share power source with centrists and regional elite, leaders of political parties, law-enforcement authorities, oligarchs and masses.

Kazakhstani model of presidential power is allowing to the head of the state to call everywhere (city hall, customs, courts, army, etc) and give order. And there is no physical force which could make something controversial. The order could be executed with the hands down, but no one dares to ignore it. Bureaucracy in Kazakhstan has servant position related to presidential institute. That’s why everybody and everything is appealing to the head of the state, because center of making conclusions is he by his own.

In Uzbekistan power-clan groups have a lot more resources than their analogues in Kazakhstan. Objectively this factor limits Uzbekistani president in terms of making various decisions, including regular. Ak Orda keeper a lot freer in this aspect, because Kazakhstani clans are not so welded together and mighty compared to him.

The amount of powers, authorized wealth, legal immunity is directly depends from grade of proximity to the president. Member of a family, a friend of youth, colleague, and smart functionary – options to appear in closest surrounding are various, but possibilities opened are scaring with their scale.

State’s life is not a sculpture; all the more for Kazakhstan, along with its variegated picture of internal processes and elements, enriched by geo-political surrounding. In addition we have globalization, with all its phenomenon and unceasing challenges. All of that requires persons in near president circles to show their usefulness from time to time. Plus their care about themselves, whose moving cause is the struggle for resources, exhibited in inter-clan rivalry. The level of personal positioning is already in the past, because it is only possible to collect enough amounts of power, money and connections being in clan, in war with similar rivals.

Persons in president’s surrounding are in continuous stress. They have to show their usefulness, loyalty, struggling with rivals and avoid trial to try presidential chair. Not everybody is passing exams over all complexes of requirements.

The most vivid personality among those braking instructions of being on political Olympus is Akezhan Kazhegeldin. He took a fancy to become president, but overestimated his strength. This politician is outside of Kazakhstan for over ten years, and because of that his platform is objectively weaken. But this is just the person, which is necessary to take in account in struggle to keep presidential chair and in plans of overtaking it.

Altynbek Sarsenbayev was potential candidate on presidential post. And that was enough to become victim of demonstrative punishment. Circle of suspects is small, but everybody from it could be considered.

Rakhat Aliev is also a contender, but of different breed. This person in his desires is resting not on smartness and strategy, but on power authorities. Lack of intellect became fatal for him. Nevertheless, by virtue of common idiocy and unpredictability he is very dangerous, because nobody could estimate next step of schizoid with big money.

Also, Rakhat Aliev could be used by rivals of Nursultan Nazarbayev as weapon of the big game, for the reason that strong, reach, confident and steady president is not needed neither by bureaucracy or oligarchs, nor transnational companies working in the country, and neighbor countries. Everybody wants to have any levers of political pressure and limitation over the president of Kazakhstan. And the fact that yet there is no powerful or convincing thing is the result of Nursultan Nazarbayev himself. Let he pitching it strong sometimes, using political antibiotics in such amounts, that, along with hazardous political organisms, those are suffering, who doing objectively more good things than bad.

Zharmakhan Tuyakbay is the example of politician who overestimated his strength. After been defeated on presidential elections of 2005 he passed in to “used political material” category.

Only Bulat Abilov is publically challenging the president inside Kazakhstan, but powers are too unequal. Nevertheless, some are little afraid of Azat party leader, because he is politician of integral type and can pop up very effectively in case of changes on political arena.

There is a lot more of those, who are not publically speaking of their presidential ambitions, while cherishing hopes however. Generally they are concentrated around the president, because only there critical mass of money, power and connections could be collected. And Nursultan Nazarbayev must observe all of them very carefully; because he made it such, that it happened in top 50 of the most interesting global posts of black envy.