Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan is a Central Asian nation bordering Russia. Its western edge, on the other side of the Ural River, is considered part of Europe. Of the Central Asian republics, it has the largest Russian population, with around 3 million Russians in a country of 21 million people. The country is a large exporter of petroleum and uranium. Its national petrol company, KazMunayGas, is a large collaborator with Gazprom. After independence in 1991, Kazakhstan remained under the leadership of Nursultan Nazarbayev and his party, Amanat; he led the Kazakh SSR and held executive power until 2019. During this time, he consolidated control, disempowered opposition parties, and attacked civil liberties. Despite stepping down from the presidency in 2019, he kept the title of “Leader of the Nation” to maintain influence in the country.

Nazarbayev's successor, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, solidified his authority in the same way Nazarbayev had, through crackdowns on independent media, protests, and opposition. The last elections were held in November 2022, when Tokayev and his support, the People’s Alliance, won handily amid internet blackouts and forced campaign advertising. This election came after protests at the beginning of the year that turned violent, earning the name “Bloody January”. The government used prison torture, ill-treatment, and custody deaths on more than 10,000 detainees. In 2026, a new constitution was approved, changing the bicameral legislature to a unicameral one and restructuring how the government works in many ways. Kazakhstan has been a republic in name only for some time, but recent events have shown a willingness to use violence on its own people to maintain that system.