The Evolution of the Political Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the Post-Soviet Period

Kazakhstan’s experience holds a special place among the Central Asian states. The process of democratization and the authoritarian rollback and return to democratic tracks that replaced it reflects the specifics of the Kazakh political system. Meanwhile, Kazakhstan, as well as other Central Asian states, was influenced by historically established methods of governance and the relationship between different power groups. As a result, despite the declared principles of separation of powers, Kazakhstan was dominated by the institution of the first president. The article concludes that the consolidation of the vertical of executive power at the first stage allowed to stabilize the economic situation and to pursue a balanced foreign policy course, as well as to reduce the influence of regional elites. However, the consolidation of power by the president led to instability of the political sphere, as the mechanism of power transfer was not developed. The irremovability of political elites and the reduced role of parliament in making key decisions on the development of the state have created obstacles to the introduction of truly democratic norms. Moreover, the artificial construction of the political system, where the Security Council of Kazakhstan received the status of a constitutional body, laid the foundation for the conflict between the First President and K.J. Tokayev, who won the early elections in 2019. The arrival of Tokayev to the highest state post opened a new stage of political development of the country. The article concludes that despite the elimination of dual power and the constitutional reform of 2022, the political development of Kazakhstan has not undergone serious changes.