Elections of rural akims: new electoral reform

Abstract

The article describes the election system of rural akims in the Republic of Kazakhstan since 2021 and examines the technologies of pre-election campaigning from the point of view of electing village akims. During the elections of akims, the main attention is paid to the need to agitate the electoral system of akims. The scientific novelty of the article lies in the study of the main problems of campaigning activities of rural leaders in the electoral process.The authors argue that the direct elections of rural akims are a very important event, marking a completely new stage in the modernization of the local self-government system. The innovation of the bill is the introduction of elections of rural akims by secret ballot on the basis of universal, equal and immediate suffrage, as well as the introduction of the procedure for nominating candidates through political parties and self-nomination.Direct elections of rural akims provide an opportunity for citizens to actively exercise their constitutional rights, increase their understanding of the needs and problems of local executive bodies, and fully implement the concept of a «listening state».