Magazine Despite two era-defining moments occurring in the five years since Nazarbayev’s resignation, continuity is the main feature of governance in Kazakhstan. In this June 7, 2019, file photo, Kazakhstan’s acting President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, right, and former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev shake hands in front of their supporters in Nur-Sultan, the capital city of Kazakhstan, … Read more
This week, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev shuffled his government. Besides new Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, notable new appointments included Finance Minister Madi Takiyev, and National Economy Minister Nurlan Baybazarov. The fresh faces in the economic bloc come as Tokayev pledges to pursue a new economic course, including promises to reduce the state’s outsized role in … Read more
Of all the many bits and pieces to parse from Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s recent interview with the state-run Egemen Qazaqstan newspaper, his comment in response to a question regarding a system of “dual power” stands out as an almost Freudian slip. Tokayev said that at some point after the January 2022 unrest he “openly … Read more
Less than a month after pulling a pair of trials against aspirational opposition party leaders behind closed doors, a court in Kazakhstan sentenced one to 10 years. The other faces a similar fate. On November 21, a court in Astana sentenced Nurzhan Altaev, the leader of the unregistered El Tiregi party (which in Kazakh literally … Read more
On November 5, Kazakhstan expanded its experiment with local elections to include three towns and 42 provincial districts. Residents of these districts and cities voted for akims, a position akin to a mayor, who until now have been indirectly elected by deputies of local councils. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a law changing the electoral procedure … Read more
Advertisement This week, a court in the Kazakh capital Astana decided to move the two trials of two different political figures, in two entirely separate cases, behind closed doors, citing concerns about the safety of witnesses. Given the political activities of both defendants – each the leader of an unregistered political party – the shifting … Read more
Advertisement On September 19, Kazakhstan’s General Prosecutor’s Office announced that Samat Abish, once a deputy in the security services and the nephew of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev, was under investigation for “abuse of power” during the January 2022 unrest. The announcement stressed that the “investigation involves the study of a significant amount of secret documentation,” … Read more
Advertisement When the trial of Zhanbolat Mamai, leader of the Democratic Party of Kazakhstan, an unregistered political party, concluded in April, he was given a suspended six-year sentence. In lieu of prison time, he was subject to a broad ban on social and political activity. This week, Mamai’s wife — activist and journalist Inga Imanbay … Read more
Advertisement In a June 11 meeting with residents of Kazakhstan’s Abay region, affected in the past week by devastating wildfires that have claimed at least 15 lives and scorched 60,000 hectares, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev heard from one woman who complained about a lack of paved roads in the region, hampering firefighting efforts. “The officials told … Read more
Crossroads Asia | Politics | Central Asia With the expected closure of the Office of the First President, de-Nazarbayevification marches on. A portrait of former Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev is seen at the city hall building after clashes in the central square blocked by Kazakhstan troops and police in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Monday, Jan. 10, 2022. Credit: AP Photo/Vasily Krestyaninov … Read more