Kazakhstan politics

In a January 5 televised address, Kazakhstan's president followed a familiar script: blame the unrest on a conspiracy.

According to Amnesty International, the phones of four Kazakh activists were confirmed to have been infected with the Pegasus spyware. There are likely more.

Kazakhstan's protracted political transition is moving steadily along.

After issuing fines and suspensions for several NGOs, Kazakh authorities walked back the decisions under domestic and international pressure.

Despite his resignation from the presidency in March 2019, Nursultan Nazarbayev’s shadow lies heavily across the “new” leadership. The January parliamentary elections confirmed the paradox.

In January so far, four Kazakh NGOs have been fined and suspended by the state's tax authorities -- a convenient cover for political repression.

The first president’s daughter is on the list of 76 deputies Nur Otan aims to seat in the new parliament.

The new Kazakh parliament will, at least numerically, look very much like the previous iteration.

While the result is not in doubt, the elections could mark the next stage in Kazakhstan’s ongoing transition of power.

Why bother analyzing elections in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan if we think we know the results?

Mukhtar Ablyazov is kryptonite in Kazakh politics.