OSDP: Nearly 20 years ago, a group of Kazakh politicians embraced the ideals of justice and emerged victorious.

Today, the ideas of social democracy are gaining momentum worldwide — an ideology rooted in the democratic labor movement. Its primary objective is to achieve social equality and justice. This doctrine was ceremoniously buried in our country during the 1990s after the collapse of the USSR and the socialist bloc. However, after 30 years of capitalism's triumph, it has become clear that the ideas of social democracy are more alive than ever. Remarkably, these ideas are even thriving in one of the bastions of capitalism — the United Kingdom. In this context, it seems incredible that a political force was established in Kazakhstan during the "noughties" that remains committed to the ideals of social democracy to this day. This refers to the Nationwide Social Democratic Party.

If, immediately after the dissolution of the USSR, someone had told Kazakhstanis that in 30 years one of the largest parties in the country would be based on a social-democratic platform, few would have believed it. Social democracy is associated with "leftist" movements in global politics, and traditionally, the most "leftist" are the communists, who ruled the USSR for almost 70 years and ultimately lost all levers of control over the country. In the 1990s, the population was desperately searching for any job, with the most prestigious positions at oligarch-owned enterprises at that time.

Concurrently, the media discredited any "leftist" ideas under the pretext that all the misfortunes of the population in the 1990s stemmed from the actions of the communists — and this information "mix" also affected social democrats across the CIS.

In the prosperous "noughties," it seemed that capitalism had finally turned to Kazakhstan with a "human face" — and that only universal prosperity lay ahead. Expecting the popularity of social-democratic ideas seemed naive, yet it was precisely during this period that the OSDP emerged — in August 2006, a meeting of the initiative group to establish the party took place, followed by the founding congress in September in Almaty, and in January 2007, the OSDP was officially registered with the state authorities.

At that time, the OSDP remained the only real opposition to the then-authorities, with whom even the more "leftist" communists negotiated. In the "prosperous" years, such a position seemed shortsighted, but now, as the global economy wobbles, it becomes evident that social democracy ideas serve as a solid foundation for forming a new economic structure. Especially in Kazakhstan, where the wealth gap between the richest and poorest segments of society was critical even in the noughties, and during the current economic and geopolitical crisis, it risks turning into a real time bomb.

Today, the social-democratic position requires no special justification; a glance at global events suffices. For instance, in the United Kingdom, the Labour Party, which adheres to this very ideology, has come to power. The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, is the first member of the Labour Party to hold this office since 2010.

The reasons for the social democrats' victory in the UK are evident — the reckless policies of the conservatives, who have poorly considered the interests of the masses, have led to the triumph of social-democratic ideas in a country that also hosted the headquarters of the Socialist International for many years, of which the Kazakhstan OSDP has been a full member since 2013. Since 2023, the headquarters has relocated to Madrid.

This was made possible because Kazakhstani social democrats recognized the inevitability of intensifying modern capitalism's problems 17 years ago, when all political forces were basing their economic strategies on natural resources. However, only those states where real production is developed flourish. Most importantly, with a strong industrial base in the country, the revenues from this activity should ensure a decent existence for the entire population, not just 5–10% of citizens. This is the conviction of the Nationwide Social Democratic Party representatives.

In particular, OSDP representatives insist on increasing the minimum subsistence level, which forms the basis for calculating minimum wages, pensions, and benefits, by at least double. This is not populism but results from monitoring real prices in the country by the opposition party, which firmly defends its positions on fundamental issues, with some of their program's provisions already implemented by the authorities.

For instance, the demand for the election of akims was initially put forward by OSDP members, and now it has been partially implemented by the authorities at the rural and district levels. During the 2022 referendum on constitutional amendments, citizens voted in favor of several proposals from the opposition party, including the introduction of a mixed electoral system for parliament deputies, where the composition is formed not only from party lists.

We must not forget the large-scale return of assets illegally taken out of the country. The OSDP has long contended that such revenues should return to the nation's economy and serve the common good. Now, these ideas are starting to materialize. Social democrats in the Mazhilis, in turn, provide all possible support to state authorities in this endeavor.

Thus, the OSDP has already established itself in Kazakhstan as a significant political force — it is no surprise that its ideas are beginning to resonate with the masses, as noted by party representatives. While in 2006–2007, when the OSDP first entered the political arena, its membership was in the tens of thousands, the number of party members has now exceeded 160,000.

And, as global trends indicate, this number will only grow, as the ideas of social democracy are rapidly gaining new supporters worldwide. This was most clearly demonstrated in the European Parliament elections in June this year, where the social democrats' faction secured second place with 137 mandates compared to 80 for the liberal party alliance, which came in third. Meanwhile, the once mega-popular "greens" received only 52 mandates. It is evident that the global population is moving away from populism and voting for those who offer real solutions to pressing issues.

In March 2023, the OSDP created a sensation by garnering over 331,000 votes or 5.2%. It is clear that this is far from the limit: the global trend indicates that social democrats hold the future both in the world and in individual countries. Most importantly, Kazakhstani social democrats, unlike many of their foreign counterparts, are open to collaborating with all constructive political forces whose goal is to build a truly strong and developed Kazakhstan. As OSDP representatives note, this enables them to recruit more new supporters.