Political process

Allow Protests; Stop Persecuting Critics

If it walks like a president, talks like a president, and has powers on par with a president…

Pensioner Ernazar Perneev had just arrived at Nauryz Square in Kazakhstan's southern city of Shymkent on October 26 when he was confronted by a representative from the mayor's office.

The consensus among Kazakhstan watchers is that the former president is trying to contain his successor.

Former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev used an extended interview on state television on October 11 to downplay his continuing influence and defer to his successor, condemn "traitors" abroad for allegedly trying to stoke unrest, and generally praise his 29-year rule that ended earlier this year. 

An independent polling agency in Kazakhstan has found in a nationwide survey that 43 percent of respondents view demonstrations as a force for good.

Since coming to power in June, Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokaev has claimed a desire to accelerate political reforms and improve human rights in the country. 

An emerging young, urban population has begun to challenge the lasting legacies of the Soviet era. 

Kazakhstan’s former president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, who resigned in March after nearly 30 years in power, was a great admirer of the Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew.