Kazakstan
Kazakhstan’s civil society is eying the rapprochement with China with suspicion. This is primarily because people don’t trust their own elites, said Temur Umarov, a researcher at the Carnegie Moscow Centre for Russian and Eurasian Studies in Berlin.
Central Asia became more attractive for Beijing since the Russian invasion of Ukraine made the northern trade routes unavailable to use for China. Growing vacuum of influence in the region is going to be filled by China, believes Brian Carlson, the head of the Global Security Team at the Center for Security Studies (CSS) think tank. (more…)
Kazakhstan summarised the results of extraordinary elections to the lower house of parliament (Mazhilis) and local governments (maslikhat). The voting process was a part of the political reform declared by President Tokayev after the January protests one year ago. However, these elections showed the lowest voter turnout in recent years, while independent observers reported many violations. (more…)
Roskomnadzor sends notices to Kazakhstan media demanding to remove content related to the war in Ukraine. Does Roskomnadzor have the right to send demands to the media other than Russian, and can these demands be called the attempt upon the digital sovereignty of Kazakhstan? (more…)
Usually, Kazakhstanis “inherit” religious beliefs. If parents are Muslim, their children will also practice Islam. If adults are Catholics, their children will follow their path, too. But there are those who choose religion “not by inheritance.” (more…)
Kazakhstan has returned the option to nationals to be elected in single-member districts. 15 candidates, on average, will compete for one mandate. This high competition can “disperse” the votes, according to experts. They also expect the disappointment of voters after the election and do not exclude the possibility of new protests. (more…)
Religious preachers of Kazakhstan use social media actively to expand their audience. (more…)
The percentage of Muslims and Christians in Kazakhstan declines, according to the comparison of two national census of 2009 and 2021. 13 years ago, 70.2 per cent of census participants declared their Islamic identity, and only 69.3 per cent a year ago. (more…)
Kazakhstan is finalising the results of the snap presidential election. According to the exit poll, Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev, who have headed the republic after Nursultan Nazarbayev left office in 2019, has won 80 per cent of votes. Nazarbayev has already congratulated his successor on the new presidential term. (more…)
The documents signed by Central Asian presidents in Cholpon Ata are a significant step toward closer cooperation in the region, according to Umedjon Ibrohimzoda, a political scientist and participant of the school of analytics of CABAR.asia. However, it is important to adhere to the principle of equality and mutually beneficial cooperation in the integration process of Central Asia. (more…)