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1 1 (October 11, 2022)

handle is hein.crs/govejaj0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional ____ R .fesearch Service Political Reforms in Kazakhstan October 11, 2022 Kazakhstan, a U.S. partner in areas such as counterterrorism, regional security, and nuclear nonproliferation, is implementing political reforms as it faces a range of domestic and international challenges. Following unprecedented unrest in January 2022, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has moved to consolidate power while his country confronts difficult geopolitical dynamics in the wake of Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Reforms introduced by Tokayev are restructuring Kazakhstan's political system and annulling the privileged position of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who held office for nearly three decades. While authorities tout ongoing reforms as moving the country in a more democratic direction, skeptics question the degree to which Kazakhstan will implement genuine democratization. In September, Tokayev called for a snap presidential election; he is widely expected to win a second term in the vote, scheduled for November 20. Some Members of Congress have expressed interest in expanding U.S. engagement with Kazakhstan, and in Kazakhstan's reform process. January Unrest On January 2, 2022, peaceful demonstrations broke out in Kazakhstan's western oil-producing region over an increase in fuel prices. The protests quickly spread throughout the country, expanding to encompass grievances over corruption and economic inequality, with much of the anger directed at Nazarbayev and his family. By January 6, the protests had become the largest and most violent unrest in Kazakhstan's history, leaving over 200 people dead. Some Members of Congress condemned the violence, calling on Kazakhstani authorities to respect human rights. Some scholars assess that in addition to peaceful protestors with genuine economic and political demands and opportunistic looters who took advantage of the unrest, the events involved organized provocateurs, who attacked government facilities and law enforcement. President Tokayev referred to the events as an attempted coup. Many analysts contend that figures associated with Nazarbayev and his family took advantage of genuine popular protests to pursue an intra-elite power struggle. As Tokayev moved to control the situation, he appealed for assistance from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russia-led security alliance to which Kazakhstan belongs. In the first deployment in the organization's history, a CSTO mission of approximately 2,500 troops from Russia, Armenia, Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN12030 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

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