Kazakhstan experienced social unrest in January 2022 with more than 200 people killed. The violence, while neither fully or widely understood, channelled broader discontent with the country’s inequalities and the influence of its ex-president Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Since then, Nazarbayev’s designated successor Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has been limiting the control of the Nazarbayev clan over the country’s resources. It remains to be seen whether the release of this grip will put an end to the cronyism of the Nazarbayev era or whether this is a prelude to Tokayev’s own consolidation of power.
- How successful has Tokayev’s reform agenda been?
- How has the political economy changed since the exit of President Nursultan Nazarbayev?
- Can Kazakhstan present itself as a safe destination for Western investment in terms of political risk?
- Does the end of the Nazarbayev era signal the end of Kazakhstan’s reputation for being a kleptocratic state?
