Deputy of the Zhambyl Regional Maslikhat Damir Tashkarayev was stripped of his mandate and expelled from the AMANAT party after a verbal altercation with the regional governor Yerbol Karashukeyev. He is now challenging the decision in court, considering it politically motivated.
According to Ratel.kz, 38-year-old Damir Tashkarayev was elected as a deputy of the 8th convocation maslikhat in March 2023 on the AMANAT party list. In March 2024, at one of the meetings, he became involved in a verbal conflict with the regional governor Yerbol Karashukeyev. Nine days after the incident, Tashkarayev was expelled from the party, and three days later he lost his deputy mandate.
The official reason given for the expulsion was alleged systematic violations of ethical standards. The Chairman of the Regional Maslikhat, Abdaly Nuraliyev, sent a letter to the party leadership accusing Tashkarayev of being unable to "control his emotions" and cited three examples: opposing the construction of a school in the village of Shaikoryk, defending the interests of another deputy, and "inappropriate behaviour" at the city market. However, Tashkarayev claims these accusations are untrue.
According to him, the conflict over the school construction arose from the relocation of the project to an inconvenient site without sewerage, with a high groundwater level, and requiring the clearance of a park. He also noted that funding for the project was never allocated and the school has not been built. He called the remaining accusations fabricated.
Shortly after his expulsion from the party, Tashkarayev's lawyers filed a lawsuit in court demanding his reinstatement in the party and the maslikhat. At the first court hearing, it emerged that the audio recording of the Bureau of the Political Council meeting, where the decision to expel him was made, had allegedly been "lost". Moreover, according to official data, Tashkarayev showed one of the highest results in work effectiveness among all deputies in 2024.
The court has already granted the plaintiffs' request to summon the head of the party's regional branch, Dauyl Beisenkulov, and the chairman of the maslikhat, Abdaly Nuraliyev. The former deputy's lawyers are insisting on the provision of evidence confirming the ethical violations, but so far such materials have not been provided.
The situation has caused a public outcry. Poet and writer Mukhtar Shakhanov recorded a video message expressing support for Tashkarayev and stating that "people who tell the truth are no longer needed".
If the court upholds the lawsuit, it could create a precedent that calls into question the mechanism of party expulsion of deputies and the transparency of internal party procedures. The court proceedings are ongoing.