KAZAKHSTAN: PRO-PRESIDENTIAL PARTIES MERGE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 ALMATY 002453 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/CEN (J. MUDGE),DRL/PHD (C. KUCHTA- HELBLING) SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV KZ SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: PRO-PRESIDENTIAL PARTIES MERGE REF: ALMATY 2074 ALMATY 00002453 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (U) Summary: On July 4, the two main pro-presidential parties, Asar and Otan, merged. President Nazarbayev, who will be the official head of this mega-party, praised the merger and laid out the new party's leadership structure and strategic priorities. Dariga Nazarbayeva, the president's daughter and former head of Asar, characterized the merger as the best way to move the country forward. She stressed that Asar's enthusiasm for innovative ideas and political approaches would be incorporated into the new Otan Party. End summary. -------------- Asar and Otan Unite -------------- ¶2. (U) On July 4, President Nazarbayev's Otan party held its 9th Congress and voted to merge with Dariga Nazerbayeva's pro-presidential party Asar. About 500 people attended, including Otan activists, leaders of political organizations, government officials, and representatives of NGOs and the media. The united party will keep the name Otan; President Nazarbayev remains the party head, and Bakhytzhan Zhumagulov remains the acting Otan chairman. Dariga Nazarbayeva and Alexander Pavlov were named deputy chairmen. -------------- President Praises the Merger -------------- ¶3. (U) Nazarbayev congratulated the parties, noting that the merger was happening at an important stage in the country's political development. Specifically, he highlighted the work ahead in creating effective checks and balances among the three branches of power, in expanding the responsibilities and authorities of the parliament, and in strengthening the role of political parties. The new united party, he suggested, would play a crucial role in each of these areas. ¶4. (U) Nazarbayev stated that the merger would strengthen the party, pointing out that membership rolls now exceeded 700,000. He encouraged former Asar members to bring into the united party their progressive political approach and innovative spirit. The new party, he opined, should combine Otan's reliability with Asar's energy. To Nazarbayev, the merger proved not only the ideological similarity of the two parties, but also that Asar's and Otan's leaders placed the national interest above personal ambition. -------------- A New Party System -------------- ¶5. (U) Voicing his desire to set up a new party system, Nazarbayev suggested that while political variety is important, only large, powerful parties could be truly effective. Along these lines, he stressed the need for a stable, modern party system in which all parties are driven by one common national idea. He also encouraged the new Otan Party to continue unification talks with other pro- presidential parties. ¶6. (U) Regarding parliamentary reform, Nazarbayev proposed that two issues be addressed soon: a) whether the number of parliamentarians should be increased; and b) whether parliamentarians should be elected on a majoritarian system or a proportional system (which Nazarbayev believes confuses voters and results in unknown individuals, most often "money bags," getting into parliament). ¶7. (U) Regarding parliamentary checks on executive power, Nazarbayev warned that the country needed a strong president and a vertical power structure within the executive branch. He specifically raised the issues of who would nominate the prime minister, who would control the formation of the cabinet, and to what degree the parliament would have control over the executive branch. Nazarbayev stated that the answers to these questions would determine the future of the country and its people. ¶8. (U) Nazarbayev listed the new Otan Party's objectives as continuity, effective internal party structure, modern management, strict party discipline, election management and ALMATY 00002453 002.2 OF 003 reform, the development of the "Kazakhstan 2030" concept, and the development and implementation of a strategy for joining the 50 most competitive countries. -------------- -------------- Zhumagulov and Nazarbayeva Give Their Views on the Merger -------------- -------------- ¶9. (U) Otan's acting chairman Bakhytzhan Zhumagulov and Asar leader Dariga Nazarbayeva also spoke. Zhumagulov noted that since their joint efforts during last year's presidential elections, the two parties' positions had been getting closer. He admitted that there were still some disagreements and sharp debates. But he was confident that the parties would focus on issues on which they agreed because of their mutual desire to serve the country's higher interests. ¶10. (U) Nazarbayeva used her remarks to explain the reasons behind the merger. She characterized the bulk of pro- presidential forces as moderate conservatives that tended to trust existing patterns of power and quickly forgave any government wrong-doing. She insisted that with such a mentality, nothing would change. She made clear her distrust of radical changes, but emphasized that government reform was necessary to keep the country moving forward. According to Nazarbayeva, that is why Asar, with its vigorous energy, constructive criticism of the current establishment, and permanent search for innovative solutions, needed to join Otan. ¶11. (SBU) Dariga Nazarbayeva used a series of interviews following the merger to appeal to Asar members for their understanding and support for her decision. (Comment: This is not surprising, considering the decision to unite with Otan was made only the day before the Congress, and seemingly without consensus among Asar members. End comment.) Nazarbayeva said the central reason for the union was the similarity of the two parties' political and ideological platforms. Both were parties of moderate conservatives opposed to radical changes. She was careful to downplay the idea of any return to a monolithic party system; she highlighted Asar's traditions of liberalism and local self-government in an attempt to draw a clear distinction between the united Otan party and the former Communist Party of Soviet times. She also hinted at the differences between the newly-united parties. Borrowing a line from Pushkin, she equated the work ahead with "making a horse and a delicate deer pull one carriage." ¶12. (U) Nazarbayeva admitted that Asar's disappearance from the political landscape was problematic, but said that it was the cost of compromise. She stressed that while Asar was no longer an independent entity, its political work would continue. She reasoned that a party's independence was a good thing only if that party had the tools to implement its ideas. -------------- Other Party Leaders Comment -------------- ¶13. (U) The leaders of most of the other major political parties spoke out in favor of the merger. Azat Peruashev of the Civic Party opined that it would strengthen the country's political and party system, and highlighted Nazarbayev's call to increase the role of political parties in forming government agencies. Patriots Party leader Gani Kasymov discreetly announced after the Otan Congress that his party would change course and was in consultations regarding merger options. Arseny Dusenov of Ak Zhol opined that party mergers are a natural part of the political process. He added, however, that the new party needed to maintain its independence from the presidential administration. ¶14. (U) Bulat Abilov of True Ak Zhol stated that all pro- presidential parties should unite; the president should be supported by one party under his control. Abilov said it was clear that the forces opposing Nazarbayeva and her husband, Rakhat Aliyev, had won. He felt the merger was best described as "a forced marriage" and predicted that confrontation would become more acute, though more disguised. Abilov suggested that Kazakhstan's political elite was planning for the post-Nazarbayev era, and was apparently not interested in sharing power with the ALMATY 00002453 003.2 OF 003 president's daughter. The next step, he predicted, would be to try to force Nazarbayeva out of the country. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶15. (SBU) Comment: Many analysts see the two parties' unification as a hostile takeover of Asar by Otan, effectively marking the end of Nazarbayeva's independent political activities. According to such theorists, the merger was the result of serious discord between the president and his daughter. Other analysts deny the possibility of any such rift in the presidential family, and see the merger as the first in a series of maneuvers designed to usher Nazarbayev's chosen successor into power. In light of the simultaneous assault on Nazarbayeva and Aliyev's media holdings (reftel),the first scenario appears more likely. End comment. ORDWAY