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1 1 (January 25, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govebuj0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Researh Service Inferrnin g the legislative debate sin ce 1914 Updated January 25, 2021 Kazakhstan Overview Kazakhstan, a U.S. partner in areas such as counterterrorism, regional security, and nuclear nonproliferation, is a strategically situated country with significant hydrocarbon and mineral resources. It shares long borders with Russia to the north and China to the east (see Figure 1). Although sparsely populated, Kazakhstan is the world's ninth largest country by land area. Previously a republic of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan became independent in 1991. Since then, the country's authoritarian government has introduced significant market reforms, developed the energy sector, and moved to diversify its economy. Kazakhstan pursues a multi-vector foreign policy, seeking to balance relations with major powers while actively participating in international organizations. Political Background Government. Since independence, Kazakhstan's political system has been dominated by Nursultan Nazarbayev, a former high-level Soviet official who became the country's first elected president in 1991. He was subsequently reelected four times, most recently in 2015, although none of these elections were deemed free and fair by international observers. Nazarbayev resigned as president in March 2019, but he maintains significant powers as head of Kazakhstan's influential Security Council and chairman of the ruling Nur Otan party. He was succeeded by a hand- picked successor, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. As First President and Elbasy (Leader of the Nation), Nazarbayev enjoys constitutionally protected status, including lifelong immunity from prosecution. The former president's family also dominates significant sectors of the economy. Tokayev, an experienced politician and diplomat who previously served as U.N. Deputy Secretary-General, became acting president upon Nazarbayev's resignation and subsequently won a snap presidential election in June 2019 with 71% of the vote, although independent observers questioned the integrity of this result. While Tokayev has promised political reforms aimed at improving government openness and accountability, some analysts contend that major changes are unlikely as long as Nazarbayev remains entrenched in the political system. Kazakhstan's bicameral parliament is dominated by Nazarbayev's Nur Otan party. In March 2017, a series of constitutional amendments devolved some powers from the executive to the legislature. Legislation passed in 2020 formalized the concept of a parliamentary opposition, but critics contend that real opposition groups have no chance of entering parliament. The most recent parliamentary elections, held in January 2021, reaffirmed Nur Otan's commanding majority. According to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), elections in Kazakhstan consistently fail to meet international standards of impartiality, integrity, and transparency. Source: CRS Human Rights and Civil Society. According to the U.S. State Department, serious human rights issues present in Kazakhstan include restrictions on freedoms of expression, religion, assembly, and association; restrictions on political participation; the absence of an independent judiciary and due process; and torture by police and prison officials. The nongovernmental organization Human Rights Watch assesses that Kazakhstan's government actively persecutes real or perceived political opponents, especially those associated with Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan, an opposition movement banned as extremist since 2018. Corruption is pervasive, and media independence is limited. Reporters Without Borders ranks Kazakhstan 157th out of 180 countries in its 2020 World Press Freedom Index. Economic inequality and a perceived lack of government accountability have fueled grassroots discontent in the past decade. In 2011, protests by oil workers in the western town of Zhanaozen turned violent, leaving at least 15 demonstrators dead and dozens injured after police opened fire. In 2016, large-scale protests broke out against proposed changes to the country's land code, which critics feared would lead to a Chinese takeover of Kazakhstan's agricultural land. Since 2018, there have been multiple demonstrations by women protesting a perceived lack of support from the state for single mothers and families with many children. Nazarbayev's resignation and the June 2019 snap presidential election catalyzed further protests and calls for transition to a parliamentary system. Kazakhstan at a Glance Land area: 2,699,700 sq. km.; 1.6 times the size of Alaska Population: 18.8 million (2020 est.) https://crsrepor

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