Politics and Security
Reiter
Political System and Current Policy
Political system | Presidential Republic |
Head of State | President Qassym-Schomart Toqajew (since 2019) |
Legislative branch | Bicameral Parliament |
Executive branch | President; Prime Minister; Cabinet |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court of the Republic; Constitutional Council |
The form of government in Kazakhstan is a presidential republic and the head of state since 2019 has been President Qassym Shomart Toqayev. The legislative branch is a bicameral parliament composed of the Senate and the Majilis (Lower House). The executive branch consists of the head of state, President Toqayev; the head of government, Prime Minister Alikhan Smailov since 2022; and the cabinet. The president appoints ministers based on the prime minister's recommendation. The president has veto power over all appointments and independently appoints the ministers of defense, internal affairs and foreign affairs. The judicial branch is composed of the Supreme Court of the Republic, which consists of 44 members, and the Constitutional Council, which consists of the chairperson and 6 members.
Until 2019, Kazakhstan was led by an autocratic regime under President Nazarbayev. This regime was characterized by repression and self-legitimization. He had a monopoly on power and used it to his political and economic advantage. Moreover, in 2018 Nazarbayev put himself in charge of the Security Council for life, through which he also had access to the intelligence service so that he could pull the strings in the shadows even after his resignation. The regime financed itself mainly through resource exports and distributed the revenues to the elites.
In 2019, Nazarbayev resigned and appointed his successor, Toqayev, who had no power base and therefore did not pose much of a threat to him. The presidential handover was highly controversial and a partial trigger for the 2022 protests as Nazarbayev remained in power, albeit in the background. According to Freedom in the World 2022, the 2019 presidential election was not credible. President Tokayev benefited from the support of the ruling Nur Otan party, state media, and his predecessor, while his opponents were not considered real competitors. Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) reported incidents of ballot box fraud, ballot forgery, and the use of identical voter signatures on election day.
Protests:
In 2022, protests in Kazakhstan began as a reaction to the price increase for liquid gas and the controversial presidential handover. They quickly developed into violent riots. The protestors demanded a fairer distribution of wealth and the departure of Nazarbayev as string-puller. Their slogan was "Old man, go away." Toqayev responded with mass arrests and a shoot-to-kill order. In January 2022, the president labeled the protesters as foreign-trained terrorist gangs, which allowed him to call for the temporary deployment of military forces from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russian-led international organization of Eurasian countries, to control the situation.
President Toqayev blamed the previous government for the crisis and used the situation to consolidate his power and emancipate himself from Nazarbayev. The protests led to some changes in politics. Tokayev took over the chairmanship of the National Security Council from Nazarbayev and dismissed some of his confidants. He implemented extensive reforms that limited presidential power and strengthened the role of parliament. However, Tokayev also signaled that the old system and its privileges for the elites would remain largely intact. For example, eleven of the new government members had already served in the last government appointed by Nazarbayev. In September 2022, Kazakhstan's parliament renamed the country's capital from Nur-Sultan to Astana to finally distance the country from Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Human Rights and Freedom
Index | Score |
Press Freedom Ranking: Reporters Without Borders | 45,87/100 points |
Corruption Perceptions Index 2022 | 36/100 |
Freedom in the World 2022: Freedom Score | 23/100 |
Freedom House Nations in Transit 2022: Democracy percentage & status | 6/100 (consolidated authoritarian regime) |
Reporters without Borders, Freedom of the Press Ranking:
The annual Reporters Without Borders ranking compares press freedom in 180 countries. The committee defines press freedom as “the ability of media professionals, as individuals and collectively, to select, produce, and disseminate news in the public interest, independent of political, economic, legal, and social interference and without threat to their physical and psychological safety."
Points are awarded between 0-100, whereby:
85-100 good situation
70-85 satisfactory situation
55-70 identifiable problems
40-55 difficult situation
0-40 very serious situation
For more information click here: https://www.reporter-ohne-grenzen.de/rangliste/rangliste-2023.
Corruption Perceptions Index:
The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is the most widely used corruption ranking worldwide. It measures the level of corruption in the public sector of each country. This video explains the CPI in more detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LrvwxAHxu4k
For more information click here: https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022.
Freedomhouse Freedom Score:
Freedom in the World evaluates the rights and freedoms of individuals, not governments or the performance of governments per se. Freedom in the World evaluates the rights and freedoms of individuals, not governments or the performance of governments per se. Whether political rights and civil liberties can be exercised depends not only on state actors and institutions, but also on nonstate actors, insurgents, or other armed groups.
For more information click here: https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2023/marking-50-years.
Freedomhouse Democracy Score:
Nations in Transit assesses the State of Democracy in the Region from Central Europe to Central Asia. The ranking takes into account the following aspects: National Democratic Governance, Electoral Process, Civil Society, Independent Media, Local Democratic Governance, Judicial Framework and Independence and Corruption.
For more information click here: https://freedomhouse.org/report/nations-transit/2023/war-deepens-regional-divide.
Kazakhstan is a country with significant political restrictions and a lack of democratic processes. Parliamentary and presidential elections are not considered free or fair, with the ruling party maintaining dominance and genuine opposition figures marginalized or imprisoned. Media outlets are largely controlled by the government, leading to restricted freedoms of speech. Corruption is widespread at all levels of government. There is a lack of protection against the illegitimate use of physical force, and torture is used to obtain confessions.
In the 2021 parliamentary elections, the ruling Nur Otan party retained its dominance, although international election observers described the elections as unfair. Election laws were amended, but they still make it difficult for opposition parties to gain representation. Therefore, there is no significant opposition to the ruling Nur-Otan party.
Political pluralism and participation are limited, as the political system is dominated by a small group of elites. Various population groups, including women and ethnic minorities, have difficulty fully exercising their political. Societal attitudes limit the personal autonomy and rights of various segments of the population.
Quiz on Kazkh Politics