Kazakhstan on the threshold of energy and housing and communal crisis — KFOR

Kazakhstan is on the verge of an energy and housing and communal crisis. This is stated by the Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan (KFOR) in its New Year's address.

The Political Council of the Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan, the Central Committee of the trade union "Zhanartu" and the editorial office of the website socialismkz.info Congratulates all workers and social activists, workers of the country, as well as their supporters on the upcoming 2026th year and wishes strength of spirit, self-confidence and even more energy in the struggle for their basic social and political rights.

Kazakhstan is once again on the verge of an energy and housing and communal crisis due to the deterioration of networks and thermal power plants, which are allegedly being "modernized" by raising prices for all types of services under the "Tariff in exchange for Investment" program. At the same time, the oligarchs who were the owners of the CHP did not suffer any punishment for bringing the system to complete destruction!

To this is added the growing snowball shortage of electricity due to the fact that not a single CHP plant has been built in the Republic of Kazakhstan for 34 years, as well as the shortage of fuel and liquefied gas, the prices of which are actually released due to the refusal of state regulation. Plus, there is a growing shortage of water resources in the republic.

This year, workers of service companies of the Mangystau region have repeatedly struck again. They demanded the renewal of outdated equipment, the inclusion of their team in the state-owned company KazMunayGas and the introduction of a unified wage system. In fact, this is a call or slogan of nationalization and revision of the results of optimization and privatization, which is ignored.

At the same time, the deterioration of the production funds of the Kazakhmys Corporation and other mining and metallurgical companies, which had not yet invested in the development of new deposits, was revealed, remaining with the fading ones. Deregulation and optimization led KTZ to the collapse and reduction of capacity with constant accidents on the railway with the death of workers.

Despite the promises of political reforms, the authorities engaged only in their imitation, when they announced a return to the proportional system with voting only for registered parties in the future unicameral parliament. This means cutting off the election of self-nominated candidates and returning to the situation before January 2022 and renouncing all the promises made by the president then.

Against this background, the draconian provisions of the anti-worker Labor Code and the law "On Trade Unions" turned out to be intact, and the strikers are still being tried and prosecuted.

The previous policy of total privatization, plundering of national wealth and anti-social reforms continues. Enslaving production sharing agreements and subsoil use contracts concluded secretly behind the back of the people have not been revised. Due to the transfer of dozens of rare earth metal deposits into the hands of Western corporations, this policy continues.

But the demands for freedom of trade union activity, the exercise of the right to strike and hold rallies, the creation of their own organizations and parties remain on the agenda and program of the working class. Following the workers' struggle, other oppressed social groups and detachments of workers will wake up and go to seek their rights.

We are confident that the new year 2026 will be the year of a new upsurge of the labor movement and the broad masses of the people, who will certainly become the main subject of modern Kazakh politics.

Success to all of you in our common difficult struggle, may our strength not leave us in the hour of great trials!

Socialist Movement of Kazakhstan