Kassym-Jomart Tokayev; Kazakhstan’s Fraga imitator?
Previously I described how President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan had successfully consolidated his power, now it seems like he is trying to implement moderate constitutional reforms from a position of strength.
He is the heir to a dictator, who can be viewed as benevolent compared to his neighbours, under whom human rights abuses were less severe and the economy did better than the other Stan countries and arguably Russia.
He wants to change the country’s constitution and transform the super-presidential dictatorship into a state with a genuine balance of power along with a prohibition on presidential nepotism. While Russia and Belarus appear to have only become more authoritarian throughout the recent years, in Kazakhstan we are treated to an example of the opposite. It could be a really positive start for a broader trend throughout the entire Central Asian region if it works.