The Illusions of Post-Nazarbayev Kazakhstan
Despite his resignation from the presidency in March 2019, Nursultan Nazarbayev’s shadow lies heavily across the “new” leadership. The January parliamentary elections confirmed the paradox.
February 01, 2021
Kazakhstan’s acting President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev leaves a booth at a polling station during the presidential elections in Nur-Sultan, the capital city of Kazakhstan, Sunday, June 9, 2019.
Credit: AP Photo/Alexei Filippov
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When Kazakhstan’s ruling party, Nur Otan, obtained 71 percent of the vote in the January 10 parliamentary elections, nobody seemed surprised. Kazakhstan is still firmly ruled by the same Nazarbayev-centric elite that has dominated the past three decades. Nursultan Nazarbayev, the leader of Kazakhstan for almost 30 years until his resignation in 2019, continues to be the country’s top decision-maker.