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Kazakhstan

Monthly Event Reports

August 2023 | Wounds of Qandy Qantar remain untreated

Criminal trials against those who took part in Kazakhstan’s January 2022 ‘Qandy Qantar’ (Bloody January) unrest continue, with lawyers and human rights activists protesting a lack of evidence, procedural violations, the prosecution of individuals who died in the unrest, widespread torture of detainees, and the investigation’s lack of independence from the executive. Foreign and independent researchers have not been permitted to participate in investigatory processes, and relatives of Kazakhs who died during the unrest say their cases have been dismissed or classified without investigation.

April 2023 | Former security services chief sentenced to 18 years

Karim Masimov, the long-time powerful head of the Kazakh security services, was sentenced to 18 years in prison on high treason charges for what prosecutors said was organizing the January 2022 ‘Black January’ unrest in the country. Several of Masimov’s deputies were also sentenced to lengthy prison terms, although due to the secrecy of the trial, details of the treason charges and Masimov’s alleged role in the mass protests remain unclear. Although public accusations have centred around grand corruption, observers suspect the move may be part of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s efforts to use the ‘Black January’ events as an excuse to remove potential supporters of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev from positions of authority.

March 2023 | Snap election returns little change

Snap parliamentary and local elections returned a weakened majority for the ruling Amanat party on 19 March. While the government held the entry of new parties into parliament as a sign of the country’s liberalization, opposition, activists, and independent observers argued that independent candidates had been prevented from running and saw no signs nominal opposition parties would contest or interfere with government policymaking. The percentage of women in parliament fell from 27 per cent to 18 per cent. Turnout was a historic low of 54 per cent nationwide and 26 per cent in the capital, Astana.

February 2023 | New registration process, same old results

Despite a simplification of the registration process, political parties critical of the government in Kazakhstan have seen their applications to participate in the 19 March general elections repeatedly rejected. Although a few new parties with real or suspected ties to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev have been registered – marking the first successful registration of new political parties in decades – analysts argue the move is more about creating a new parliament beholden to Tokayev rather than his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev.

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GSoD Indices Data 2013-2022

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Basic Information

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Population Tooltip
19 002 590
System of government
Presidential system
Head of government
Prime Minister Älihan Smaiylov (since 2022)
Head of government party
Amanat
Electoral system for lower or single chamber
List Proportional Representation
Women in lower or single chamber
27.4%
Women in upper chamber
18.8%
Last legislative election
2021
Head of state
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Selection process for head of state
Direct election (two-round majority)
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) date
07/11/2019
Latest Universal Periodic Review (UPR) percentage of recommendations supported
87.35%
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Human Rights Treaties

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State Party State party
Signatory Signatory
No Action No action
United Nations Human Right Treaties
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
State Party
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
State Party
International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
State Party
Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women
State Party
Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment or Punishment
State Party
Convention on the Rights of the Child
State Party
International Convention on Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families
No Action
International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance 
State Party
International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
State Party
International Labour Organisation Treaties
Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise Convention
State Party
Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining Convention
State Party
Equal Remuneration Convention
State Party
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention
State Party
Discrimination (Employment and Occupation) Convention
State Party
Convention concerning Minimum Age for Admission to Employment
State Party
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention
State Party
in
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Categories of Democratic Performance

Representation neutral Representation
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Representation neutral Rule of law
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Representation neutral Participation
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Global State of Democracy Indices

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Representation
Representation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rights
Rights
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Rule of Law
Rule of Law
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Participation
Participation
0
/1
high 0.7-1.0
mid 0.4-0.7
low 0.0-0.4
Annual value

Factors of Democratic Performance Over Time

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