Dariga Nazarbayeva faces challenges

    By Kseniya Bondal
    Early last month, President Nursultan Nazarbayev appointed his eldest daughter, Dariga Nazarbayeva, as the country’s new deputy prime minister. Many still express concerns over this change in the government, with some analysts stressing that Nazarbayeva will face significant challenges after receiving one of the highest posts in Kazakhstan in a time of crisis.
    Out of Nazarbayev’s three daughters, Dariga has always been the most visible in Kazakhstan.
    She first entered the public spotlight in 1992 upon being appointed vice president of the Bobek charity foundation, quickly moving on to consolidate her presence in the media.
    In 2004 Nazarbayeva entered politics when she became chairwoman of the Asar Party and its representative in the Majilis, the lower chamber of Kazakhstan’s parliament.
    The party existed for only three years, though in 2006 Nazarbayeva went on to become the head of the Kazakhstan First President’s Fund. In 2012 she became the chairwoman of the Majilis Committee for Social and Cultural Development, and in 2014 she became deputy speaker of the lower chamber.
    Her new appointment as the country’s deputy prime minister in September 2015 is an attempt by her father to build a system with greater support, says Maxim Kaznacheyev, head of the Internal Politics Department at the Institute of Political Decisions. He adds that Prime Minister Karim Masimov was getting quite strong, and thus the president wanted to return the power balance to the family.
    “The prime minister’s administrative and bureaucratic opportunities became too wide, and in order to balance them Dariga Nazarbayea was appointed. But when we think about the recent ‘revaluation’ of the currency, the job of the deputy prime minister doesn’t seem that attractive anymore. And it’s also early to say if there are any perspectives for Dariga Nazarbayeva to replace her father,” he says.
    Kaznacheyev says Nazarbayeva will have to deal with a number of social problems, and one of the first things she will have to do will be explaining to retired and state employees why the government will be spending less on them.
    This, he adds, will not make her very popular.
    Still, lower chamber MP Aigul Solovyeva points out that Nazarbayeva will have a chance to implement many social changes that MPs have only dreamt about.
    “But she was appointed to this position at a very difficult time when the country is facing multiple financial problems, so it will not be easy. And now when the government has to answer to the people regarding why it didn’t deliver on certain promises, Dariga Nazarbayeva will be the one to give those answers,” she adds.
    Deputy Chairman of the National Social Democratic Party Pyotr Svoik says that according to Kazakh legislation, in case something happens to the president, the power and the presidency are passed on to the prime minister, and then from the prime minister to the deputy prime minister.
    “So by becoming a deputy prime minister, Dariga Nazarbayeva is, in fact, within two steps away from becoming a president,” he says, adding that Nursultan Nazarbayev is trying to surround himself by people he can trust, including his own daughter.
    Political scientist Sergei Duvanov says Nazarbayeva’s appointment is a clear indication she will serve as Nursultan Nazarbayev’s successor.
    “What was done was merely to raise her image,” he explains, according to Silk Road Reporters.