Kazakhstan’s first president resigned, but he remains fundamentally intertwined with the state.

Kazakhstan's pretend presidential election contest would not have been complete without a pretend debate among the pretend candidates.

Amirzhan Kosanov, the lone opposition candidate in Kazakhstan’s June 9 presidential election, took the opportunity of Wednesday’s televised debate to demand democratic reforms in the Central Asian nation.

A prominent opposition politician and journalist on Monday won his bid to challenge a trusted ally of strongman Nursultan Nazarbayev in Kazakhstan’s presidential polls next month.

 Frustrations have been bolstered by perceptions that crucial national decisions are being made without the general population being consulted.

Nursultan Nazarbayev, the only leader Kazakhstan had known since the country gained independence nearly 30 years ago, resigned March 19. During his televised announcement, the longtime autocrat noted his government’s shortcomings in addressing economic problems and expressed desire for a new generation of leadership.

The Nationwide Social Democratic Party of Kazakhstan announced on Friday that it would not field a candidate for snap presidential elections slated for June 9 because it did not want to legitimize elections “without a choice.”

The Nationwide Social Democratic Party of Kazakhstan announced on Friday that it would not field a candidate for snap presidential elections slated for June 9 because it did not want to legitimize elections “without a choice.”

The career diplomat who is a shoo-in to become only the second president of ex-Soviet Kazakhstan since its independence has always appeared to prize loyalty over political ambition.