On the 28th of February, the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev, gave his annual Address to the People of Kazakhstan, the speech where he gives the government its tasks and strategies for the year. You can go to Akorda.kz for the full text of the speech.

Overall the speech focused on improving social protection and on reforming the economic sphere. Acknowledging the nation’s economic success of late, the President set forth tasks of building on that prosperity, using it to create a social safety net and to realize further economic growth. Finally he touched on democratic reforms and set forth measures that he had endorsed earlier when the Democratic Task Force proposed them: to give Parliament the power to appoint members of the Constitutional Council (which decides on the constitutionality of laws and draft laws), the Central Election Commission and the Accounting Committee (which audits government organizations). Currently, these powers belong to the President. He noted that democracy means strong rule of law–presumably to stave off criticisms that democracy equals anarchy and to signal that the government will not weaken itself. He also stated that no one doubts Kazakhstan will remain a Presidential republic (and I must agree, there is no doubt on this point). Overall the speech focused on what needs to be done, without focusing directly on existing problems, and while the tone was optimistic, it was more of a practical speech that set forth an agenda, rather than an ideological rally.
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