The government ordered during a cabinet meeting on October 16 the price freeze for utilities and gasoline, in an effort to curb inflation. Last week, the Central Bank increased interest rates to 18%. The price freeze for utilities will last until the first quarter of 2026, essentially guaranteeing stable prices for the winter season.
On instructions by Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the government also discussed changes to the new Tax Code, which was already signed into law in July and is poised to come into force next year. The amendments are essentially a rollback on measures that the public had feared would hit small and medium entrepreneurs with an additional tax burden. The decision seemed to be sudden and surprising, which is why the following day, on October 17, deputy minister of economy Azamat Amrin told Vlast that while it had to walk back from a number of provisions, “we will raise all these issues again.”
Tokayev opened on October 14 the first session of the newly-established working group for the upcoming parliamentary reform, poised to turn the country’s legislative branch into a unicameral assembly. [Read more here.]
The British government targeted Lukoil, among other Russian oil producers, on October 15 with fresh sanctions, in an effort to hit budget revenues and curb Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. Lukoil’s business in Kazakhstan, where it holds shares in some of the largest production and transport projects, will be exempted from sanctions, the UK Foreign Office said. [Read more here.]
SOCAR, Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil company, could invest into the development of Dunga, an oil field in Mangistau, in the west of the country. Kazakhstan’s deputy minister of energy Sanzhar Zharkeshov said on October 14 that SOCAR and Kazakhstan signed a memorandum to establish further cooperation. Dunga is owned by Kazmunaigas (60%), Oman Oil Company (20%), and Partex Kazakhstan Corporation (20%).
Adlet Kozhanbayev became the new mayor of Semey, a city in Kazakhstan’s north-eastern Abai region, on October 12. This marks the first time that the mayor of a regional capital is directly elected. Regional governors and most city mayors are appointed by the president. Recent proposed reforms could now lead to more mayoral elections across the country. Kozhanbayev, already a district governor, beat three other government workers by a wide margin. According to official data, the turnover was 53.7%. Berik Uali, Tokayev’s former press secretary, has served as the governor of the Abai region since February.
Jailed journalist Aigerim Tleuzhan told her lawyer on October 13 that she is not receiving proper medical care in prison. “She wanted to be hospitalized, but they wouldn’t give her permission,” the lawyer told Vlast. The prison administration declined to comment. Tleuzhan was sentenced in 2023 to four years in prison for the “airport hijacking” case during the protests of January 2022.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s local service Azattyk said on October 15 that 12 of their journalists received a three-month extension to their accreditation from the ministry of foreign affairs. Another 16 journalists, who were previously denied accreditation, are still awaiting a final decision.
China’s Zijin Mining Group said on October 12 that it completed the acquisition of RG Gold, a Kazakhstan-based gold miner, for $1.2 billion. RG Gold exploits gold mines in the northern Akmola region, near the capital Astana. Through a Luxembourg-based company, businessman Bulat Utemuratov controlled 65% of RG Gold.
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