The former chair of the People's Party of Kazakhstan (PPK) Yermukhamet Yertysbayev has stated that he is bringing his period of active political activity to a close following the elections to the Kurultai, in which the PPK failed to cross the five per cent threshold. The party received 3.11% of the vote.
WHY YERTYSBAYEV DECIDED TO LEAVE ACTIVE POLITICS
Yermukhamet Yertysbayev announced his decision on 24 August.
"I am leaving active politics. I believe that this chapter of my political biography is complete. Above all, my sincere thanks to everyone who voted for us, who worked on this campaign, who campaigned, argued, defended our programme and believed in us," he said.
At the same time, he stressed that he would not disappear entirely from the public sphere.
HOW YERTYSBAYEV ASSESSED THE PPK'S RESULT
According to Yermukhamet Yertysbayev, the party had hoped for broader support for its programme. He stated that the idea of "Kazakh socialism" had not received the mass support the PPK had counted on.
"That means either society is not yet ready for this idea, or we failed to explain it convincingly enough. Perhaps it is both," the politician believes.
Yermukhamet Yertysbayev also stated that the PPK accepts the election results and has no intention of contesting the outcome.
WHAT YERTYSBAYEV WILL DO AFTER LEAVING POLITICS
After leaving active politics, Yermukhamet Yertysbayev intends to focus on international analysis, history, political science and educational work.
Domestic politics, he said, will now take a back seat for him.
WHAT IRINA SMIRNOVA SAID
Former Mazhilis deputy Irina Smirnova, commenting on the PPK's results, acknowledged the party's defeat. She said she believed it was necessary to analyse the reasons for the outcome and noted that, in her view, the party had failed to understand what society was asking for.
Smirnova also stated that she remains a member of the PPK and believes the party can continue its work, including at the level of maslikhats.
CONTEXT
On 23 August, elections for deputies to the Kurultai were held in Kazakhstan. Seven political parties took part in the vote.
Earlier, the Central Election Commission (CEC) announced the preliminary results. The PPK and "Baytak" parties failed to cross the five per cent threshold, so their votes will not be taken into account when allocating deputy seats.
