Month in Review: Central Asia in January 2021 The first month of 2021 in the countries of Central Asia began with parliamentary and presidential elections in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, the purchase of various vaccines for coronavirus, periodic protests, and an ambiguous epidemiological situation in different countries. The analytical platform CABAR.asia presents a brief overview of the major events in the region over the past month. Follow us on LinkedIn Kazakhstan General epidemiological situation In January, compared to December, there is an increase in the incidence of coronavirus by 10 percent in Kazakhstan, from 23.1 thousand to 25.6 thousand cases. The number of laboratory-confirmed cases of coronavirus infection in Kazakhstan, according to official data, amounted to 187 970. Where 2,556 people died (seven deaths were registered on January 31). Cancellation of strict quarantine in Almaty Almaty has moved from the “yellow” to the “green” zone in terms of the rate of detection of those infected with coronavirus. The city stayed in the “yellow” zone for one day – January 30. The severity of quarantine measures depends on which zone (“red”, “yellow” or “green”) the city or region is located in. Earlier, on January 28, Almaty was in the “red” zone, the sanitary inspector of the city Zhandarbek Bekshin decided to tighten quarantine measures from February 1. Among the measures taken were the mandatory hospitalization of patients with any form of coronavirus – mild or severe, a new schedule of catering from 9 am to 8 pm, a ban on work on the weekends. Bekshin also decided to suspend the work of cinemas and theaters, which had Month in Review: Central Asia in January 2021 begun work in October 2020. Now, according to the data of the matrix for assessing the epidemiological situation in the regions of the country, Akmola, West Kazakhstan, Kostanay, Pavlodar, North Kazakhstan regions are in the “red” zone. In the “yellow” zone: Nur-Sultan, Atyrau, East Kazakhstan, and Karaganda regions. All the other regions are located in the “green” zone in terms of the spread of Covid-19. The level of severity of quarantine restrictions and measures depend on the zone in which the region is located. Kazakhstan decided to start vaccination with the Russian “Sputnik V ” ahead of schedule Kazakhstan plans to start vaccinations with Russia’s Sputnik V on February 1, ahead of schedule, mentioned the republic’s health minister, Alexei Tsoi, on Tuesday. Month in Review: Central Asia in January 2021 The “Sputnik V” vaccine produced in the “Karaganda pharmaceutical complex” in Kazakhstan. Photo: Sputnik / Abzal Kaliev Earlier, Nurlybek Asylbekov, Acting Deputy Chairman of the Medical and Pharmaceutical Control Committee, said that vaccination using the Russian Sputnik V in the country is planned at the end of February. According to the ministry, it is planned to vaccinate 2 million people in the first half of the year, and 3-4 million in the second half. At the first stages, medical workers of infectious diseases hospitals, ambulances, emergency rooms and employees of sanitary and epidemiological services, teachers and medical workers of departmental medical services, students and people with chronic diseases will be vaccinated. On December 18, the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, announced that the republic would launch a joint production of vaccines against coronavirus with the Russian Federation, both Russian and Kazakhstani, including for export. Nur Otan received over 71% of the popular vote Month in Review: Central Asia in January 2021 On January 10, Kazakhstan held elections to the Mazhilis of the Parliament and Maslikhats. The voter turnout was 63.3%. Photo: Sputnik / Abzal Kaliev According to preliminary results, popular vote in the elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of Parliament, elected by party lists, were distributed as follows: Nur Otan – 71.09%. Ak Zhol – 10.95%. People’s Party of Kazakhstan (PPK) – 9.10%. “Auyl” – 5.29%. Adal – 3.57%. Thus, according to preliminary data, three parties enter the majilis – Nur Otan, Ak Zhol and NPK, which have overcome the 7% barrier. Nur Otan received 76 deputy mandates, Ak Zhol – 12 mandates, the People’s Party of Kazakhstan (PPK) – 10 mandates. Election Day Protests About 100 representatives of the unregistered “Democratic Party of Kazakhstan” and the movement “Oyan, Qazaqstan” were detained in the center of Almaty and Nur-Sultan on January 10, the day of parliamentary elections. Month in Review: Central Asia in January 2021 Photo: Olga Loginova / Vlast.kz More than twenty protesters were detained in the central square of Uralsk. Individual detentions also took place in Aktobe and Shymkent. In all cases, activists tried to get together with calls to boycott what they saw as dishonest voting, in which there was no place for opposition parties. Five political associations took part in it: the ruling Nur Otan, the People’s Party of Kazakhstan, from the name of which the word “communist” has been removed, “Auyl”, “Ak Zhol” and “Adal” (formerly “Birlik”). The opposition National Social Democratic Party (NSDP) of Kazakhstan, for which the embattled Kazakhstani banker Mukhtar Ablyazov had previously called for voting, decided to boycott the elections in late November. On the evening of January 10, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan announced that Month in Review: Central Asia in January 2021 all the activists brought to the offices had been released. None of them were brought to administrative and criminal liability. At the same time, the department did not name the exact number of citizens detained during that day. The OSCE’s International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) stated that the January 10 parliamentary elections in Kazakhstan lacked genuine competition. The mission also noted that in Kazakhstan, many long-standing recommendations of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (one of the OSCE institutions), including those concerning fundamental freedoms, independence of election commissions, the right to vote and stand for elections, voter registration, mass media and the publication of the election results went unnoticed. The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan has been appointed Deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan approved Askar Mamin’s candidacy for the post of Prime Minister of the Republic. On January 10, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev announced that the government, according to the law, must resign after the election of deputies to the Mazhilis. The first President of the country Nursultan Nazarbayev, speaking about the candidacy for the post of Prime Minister, noted that Kazakhstan should maintain succession. 78 deputies voted for Mamin’s candidacy, 21 – abstained, and no one voted against. The chairman and heads of committees in the Mazhilis of Kazakhstan have been elected At the first plenary meeting of the Mazhilis, the deputies supported Nurlan Nigmatulin’s candidacy for the post of speaker of the lower house of parliament. On January 14, the Nur Otan party faction nominated Nurlan Nigmatulin for the post of chairman of the majilis. The chairman of the party, Nursultan Nazarbayev, previously proposed Nigmatulin’s candidacy for the post of head of the Nur Otan faction in the majilis. The faction deputies unanimously supported the proposal of Elbasy. Tokayev’s response to a State Duma deputy The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, wrote an article in which he stated that “no one from the outside” gave the territory of the country to the Month in Review: Central Asia in January 2021 Kazakhs. The article was published in the state newspaper “Egemen Kazakhstan” (“Sovereign Kazakhstan”). Tokayev also called on “to publicly confront the provocative actions of some foreigners who question our territorial integrity and criticize good-neighborly relations.” In December, Vyacheslav Nikonov, chairman of the Russian Federation State Duma Committee on Education and Science, mentioned on the air of Channel One that “the territory of Kazakhstan is a great gift from Russia and the Soviet Union”. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan called on the Charge d’Affaires of the Russian Federation due to Nikonov’s words. The head of the Kazakh Foreign Ministry, Mukhtar Tleuberdi, called the deputy’s statement a “complete rubbish”. Later, Nikonov’s statements were supported by his fellow party member from United Russia, State Duma deputy Yevgeny Fyodorov. Kazakhstan took over the chairmanship of the EAEU from Belarus Since January 2021, the chairmanship in the statutory bodies of the Eurasian Economic Union has passed from Belarus to Kazakhstan. The President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev previously reported that in January 2021 he would send an appeal to the heads of the EAEU states on the priorities of the republic’s chairmanship in the Union. Periods of stay for foreigners extended due to pandemic Periods of stay in Kazakhstan have been extended for foreign citizens due to the situation with the pandemic. Considering the current situation, a decision has been made that will legalize the status of foreigners temporarily staying in the country and prevent violations of Kazakhstani legislation. The main focus is on foreigners arriving for family reunification, citizens with expired documents, as well as labor immigrants. Thus, it is allowed to leave the country for foreigners and stateless persons, people for whom the validity of travel documents, residence permits of a foreigner, visas of the Month in Review: Central Asia in January 2021 Republic of Kazakhstan, permits for temporary stay in the Republic of Kazakhstan expired or expire before June 5, 2021 without bringing to administrative responsibility. It will be possible not to carry a driver’s license with you in Kazakhstan The Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan adopted a law according to which drivers will not be required to carry a document confirming the right to drive a vehicle. It will be enough for the driver to show an identity card to the police.