Preliminary Decision on Petition to Return to Previous Time Zone Announced
On August 2, Kairat Balykbayev, Chairman of the Working Group and Vice Minister of Trade and Integration, announced a preliminary decision regarding the petition to revert to the previous time zone in Kazakhstan.
Balykbayev stated that the petition’s claims—that the time zone change had negatively impacted electricity consumption and public health—were not substantiated.
“The Ministry of Health has reviewed statistical data and found no evidence that the time change in 12 regions and three cities of national significance affected public well-being,” Balykbayev explained.
He also noted that international studies on time zone changes were analyzed during the review process.
“Throughout our evaluation, the arguments presented by the petitioners were not confirmed. Therefore, I am announcing the preliminary decision of the ministry: to reject the petition,” Balykbayev concluded.
As of March 1, 2024, residents of Kazakhstan have been living in a single time zone, UTC+5.
