In the latest report of Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, Kazakhstan showed significant progress, gaining an additional 3 points and climbing eight places in the global ranking El.kz reports.
Transparency International noted that Kazakhstan (39 points) demonstrates some success in the fight against corruption, including through legal reforms and the return of stolen assets.
However, it is noted that these efforts are offset by an authoritarian regime, along with a lack of transparency and independence of the judiciary. All this creates favourable conditions for corruption. To move forward, Kazakhstan needs anti-corruption initiatives that are inclusive, transparent, and free from political interference, as well as broader democratic reforms.
The average score for Eastern Europe and Central Asia is 35 out of 100. This makes it the second region in the world with the highest level of corruption. Only one country in the region scored more than 50 points – Georgia (53).
Kazakhstan (39) showed the best result in history. Armenia (47), Moldova (42), Kosovo (41), Ukraine (36) and Uzbekistan (33) have significantly improved their CPI scores over the past 10 years. Bosnia and Herzegovina (35), Turkey (34) and Turkmenistan (18) all declined. Turkey also achieved the lowest CPI score, as did Serbia (36), Russia (26) and Tajikistan (20). Azerbaijan (23), Tajikistan (20) and Turkmenistan (18) are the lowest rates in the region.
"Our country received +3 points (39 out of 100) in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index. Now we are ranked 93rd out of 180 countries, last year we were 101. This is a very serious result for 1 year and the best situation for the entire period of the study," Smagulov said.
According to the public figure, it is especially pleasing that the greatest growth was recorded in the field of democracy. He expressed the hope that these positive developments were indicative of the increased involvement of civil society in the life of the country.
Thus, the growth of the Corruption Perceptions Index has become a reason for optimism and demonstrates that the efforts of civil society do not go unnoticed, and their contribution is recognized and influences positive changes in the country.