Amanat (political party)

Amanat
Аманат
ChairmanErlan Qoşanov[1][n 1]
Executive SecretaryDaulet Karibek[2]
FoundersNursultan Nazarbayev
Sergey Tereshchenko
Founded12 February 1999; 25 years ago (12 February 1999)[n 2]
Preceded byUnion of People's Unity of Kazakhstan
HeadquartersAstana, Yesil district, st. D. Konaev, 12/1
Youth wingJastar Ruhy
MembershipSteady 850,000 (2015 est.)[3]
Ideology
Political positionBig tent[7]
National affiliationPeople's Coalition
Colours  Aqua   White
Mäjilis
62 / 98
Regional mäslihats
399 / 489
Municipal mäslihats
2,286 / 2,757
Website
amanatpartiasy.kz
One of the offices of the party found in Astana

Amanat (/ˌɑːmɑːˈnɑːt/; Kazakh: Аманат, lit. 'Deposit'; officially stylized in all caps), known as Nūr Otan (/ˌnɜːr oʊˈtɑːn/; Kazakh: Нұр Отан, lit. 'Radiant Fatherland') until 2022, is a political party in Kazakhstan. It has been the ruling party of the country since 1999, and claimed a membership over 762,000 people in 2007.[8] 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.

Amanat has been viewed as a 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] Amanat views itself as a party which promotes reforms in civil service, economic diversity, open government, the rule of law, and national interests.[3]

  1. ^ "Yerlan Koshanov becomes Amanat Party Chairman". www.inform.kz. 26 April 2022.
  2. ^ "Daulet Karibek appointed as AMANAT Party Secretary". www.inform.kz. 17 July 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Sholk, Dena (5 May 2015). "Understanding Kazakhstan's Politics". The Diplomat. Retrieved 6 June 2021.
  4. ^ Laruelle, Marlene (2016). Kazakhstan in the Making: Legitimacy, Symbols, and Social Changes. Lexington Books. p. 173.
  5. ^ "OSCE Yearbook 2019". Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE). 25. University of Hamburg: 81. 6 July 2020 – via Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy.
  6. ^ a b "Bauyrzhan Baibek: "We Want a Broad Discussion Inside the "Nur Otan" Party". kazpravda.kz. 5 February 2013. Archived from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  7. ^ a b RAKHIMZHANOVA, GALIYA (2017). MODERNIZATION AND POLITICAL PARTY DEVELOPMENT IN KAZAKHSTAN (PDF). Astana: Nazarbayev University. p. 42.
  8. ^ Kazakhstan: Ruling Party Gets Even Bigger RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
  9. ^ Kucera, Joshua (5 April 2011). "No One Rigs an Election Quite Like Kazakhstan". The Atlantic. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Dozens Detained As Kazakhs Vote With No Opposition On Ballot And Little Hope Of Change". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 10 January 2021. Retrieved 5 June 2021.
  11. ^ "OSCE Yearbook 2019". Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE). 25. University of Hamburg: 81. 6 July 2020 – via Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy.
  12. ^ Isaacs, Rico (2011). Party System Formation in Kazakhstan. Routledge. p. 224. ISBN 9781136791086.
  13. ^ Del Sordi, A. (2016). "Legitimation and the Party of Power in Kazakhstan" (PDF). Politics and Legitimacy in Post-Soviet Eurasia. University of Amsterdam: Houndmills, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan: 14.


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