Amanat (political party)
Amanat (Kazakh: Аманат, lit. 'Deposit'; officially styled as AMANAT, Kazakh pronunciation: [ɑmɑnɑˑt]), previously known as Nur Otan (Kazakh: Нұр Отан, lit. 'Radiant Fatherland') until 2022, is a political party in Kazakhstan. Being the largest to date, it has been the ruling party of the country from 1999, with a membership claiming to be of over 762,000 people in 2007.[8] The Amanat has been led by Erlan Qoşanov since 26 April 2022.
Under the 21-year leadership of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev since the party's founding, Amanat had constantly won Kazakhstan's presidential and national parliamentary elections, more often in recent history with a supermajority number of votes amidst claims of rigging and lack of viable opposition.[9][10]
The party was originally founded on 12 February 1999 as simply Otan (Kazakh: Отан, lit. 'Fatherland') by former Prime Minister Sergey Tereshchenko, after the merger of several previously independent pro-presidential parties, including the People's Union of Kazakhstan Unity, the Liberal Movement of Kazakhstan, and the "For Kazakhstan — 2030" Movement. From there, the Otan eventually absorbed other parties such as the Democratic Party, People's Cooperative Party, Asar, and more recently the Civic and Agrarian parties in 2006 to become the biggest, gaining status of the party of power. That same year in December, the Otan was renamed to Nur Otan. In the 2007 legislative elections, the Nur Otan swept all the contested seats in the lower-house Mäjilis, leaving no other parties to have representation until 2012, though leaving its dominant-party control of the Parliament.
The Amanat has been viewed as a secular, conservative,[11] catch-all party[7] with an authoritarian form of governance[12] that functions by its branches throughout the country and presence within nationwide institutional resources and maintains offices in all 16 of Kazakhstan's administrative divisions, as well as 241 local offices which greatly contribute to the party's existence.[13][3] The Amanat views itself as a party which promotes reforms in civil service, economic diversity, open government, the rule of law, and national interests.[3]
Leadership[edit]
Party congress[edit]
The Congress serves as the supreme governing entity of the party; its legitimacy is established when all party branches are represented, with delegates elected primarily at regional branch conferences or, in certain situations, appointed by the chairman during political council meetings; during its sessions, decisions are made by a majority vote encompassing representatives from all party branches, and an extraordinary congress can be called upon the decision of the political council, the chairman, or upon the initiative of a significant majority of regional branches.
The party congress is mandated to convene at least once every four years, either by the party chairman or the political council. It possesses the authoritative mandate to address and resolve all matters concerning the party's operations, with its exclusive purview encompassing pivotal tasks such as the adoption and modification of the party's charter, program, and associated documents; the election and removal of the Party Chairman; the appointment and removal of members from the political council and central control and auditing commission; the endorsement of party members for key political positions and the adjustment of electoral lists; oversight through receiving reports from the political council and the central control and auditing commission on inter-congress activities; the establishment, structure, and dissolution protocols for party governing bodies; endorsement of audit regulations; decisions regarding party reorganization or dissolution; and setting the membership fee structures.
Chairman[edit]
The Chairman of the Party holds the paramount leadership position, overseeing general management and presiding over the party congress, directing the political council and its bureau while proposing key nominations for presidential and parliamentary candidates; further responsibilities encompass appointing and dismissing party officials, coordinating with the party's parliamentary faction, ensuring the party's growth, discipline, and personnel policy, making decisions on organizational structures, representing the party domestically and internationally, issuing necessary powers of attorney, endorsing resolutions, and addressing activities outside the exclusive purview of the party congress, with additional rights including the initiation of motion of no confidence against the government and adherence to legal and party charter mandates.
Since the party's creation in 1999, the role of Executive Secretary has evolved, preceded historically by the positions of the first deputy chairman and acting chairman; currently, the chairman possesses the authority to delegate powers to the Executive Secretary, encompassing responsibilities such as managing party activities, coordinating parliamentary faction work, approving party regulations and budgets, awarding party accolades, overseeing personnel matters, chairing key meetings, making decisions aligned with the party charter, and other functions, ensuring seamless operational continuity and effective governance.
The party doctrine adopted in 2013 says that Nur Otan is "the dominant political force that consolidates society and ensures the implementation of the State course of Elbasy." The principles include the following: