Two terms – two approaches
Local administration:
- Top-down hierarchy – akims are appointed or confirmed by the centre
- Implements policy from Astana at the local level
- Funded from the national budget
- Accountable to higher-level akims and the President
Local self-government:
- Bottom-up initiative – residents decide local issues themselves
- Forms include: residents' assemblies, public councils, elected akims
- Funded from the local budget
- Accountable to residents
A practical example: the road in your village is repaired not because Astana included it in a plan, but because residents and their elected akim decided it was a priority – that is self-government.
Current framework
Since 2021, akims of villages and settlements are elected by residents. This is the first step toward genuine self-government. At the district and city level, appointment remains the current practice.
What the 2026 Constitution changes
- Constitutional recognition of self-government – not merely a statutory rule but a provision of the fundamental law
- Extending elected accountability for akims to higher levels
- Strengthening the role of mаslikhats
- Greater financial autonomy for local budgets
Self-government is not separatism. It is the resolution of local issues by residents within a unified state – as practiced in democratic countries from Sweden to South Korea.