On Monday morning, it was reported that President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree dismissing Chairperson of the Supreme Audit Chamber Natalya Godunova. It probably was the first thing he did at the onset of another working week. “By decree of the Head of State, Natalya Godunova was relieved of her position as Chairperson of the Supreme Audit Chamber of the Republic of Kazakhstan”, the official website of the Kazakh president reported. Natalya Godunova held this position since November 2022. Previously, she was Chairperson of the Accounts Committee for Budget Spending Control and a member of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The frequent reshuffling of high-ranking officials has long been a familiar matter in Kazakhstan, so it usually does not attract much attention from the public. Yet the case in hand appears to fall somewhat out of this series. Here is a quick refresher on what it’s all about.

This author, in a recent article entitled “Why Has Kazakhstan’s Tokayev Been ‘Looking For The Horse, That He Rides On, For Six Months’?” published in Eurasia Review, wrote: “One day after replacing his Prime Minister, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev chaired a Cabinet session on February 7, harshly criticizing the government for ‘mistakes and failures’ in upgrading the nation’s heating, electricity, and water supply systems.“Ensuring the uninterrupted operation of all life support systems in settlements is one of the basic functions of the Government and akimats [regional administrations]. However, every heating season reveals the same problems”, he said in addressing the government meeting.........

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