Civil Society:
KAZAKHSTAN: DEMOCRATIZATION TAKES A BACK SEAT TO ENERGY PROFITS
Sue Simon: 6/14/06

Kazakhstan is demonstrating an alarming decline in democracy and accountability, a new study by Freedom House asserts.

The Nations in Transit 2006, a study released by Freedom House on June 13, rates national and local governance, media and judicial independence, electoral process, civil society, and corruption. Overall, Kazakhstan scored 6.36 out of a possible 7.00 where 7.00 indicates a total collapse of democratic procedures.

President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s grip on power in the oil rich country is so tight that the report suggests his political position “appears unassailable.” Having secured an implausible majority of 91 percent in the December 2005 presidential election, Nazarbayev controls a political and economic system open to loyalists but “closed to independent financial and political interests or social groups that propose alternative ideologies.”

“Powerful financial groups and members of the presidential family fully control the parliament and top political offices and continue to intimidate, buy off, co-opt, and even accuse as criminals their business and political opponents, critics, and independent media,” the report adds.

Kazakhstan experienced a deterioration of conditions in three spheres – civil society, independent media and national democratic governance – according to the Freedom House rankings. The ratings in the remaining four categories were unchanged from the 2005 survey. Kazakhstan’s national democratic governance rating in 2006 stood at 6.75 out of 7. The best ranking that Kazakhstan could manage was 5.75 in the civil society category.

President Nazarbayev has held office since 1989 and procured another seven-year term last year. In 1995 he oversaw the adoption of a new constitution, which gave sweeping responsibilities to the presidency. His skillful consolidation of power has been facilitated by tremendous economic growth, driven by the development of Kazakhstan’s considerable energy reserves. A veneer of political “stability” has been cultivated, but the country remains steadfastly autocratic and deeply corrupt, according to the study. The country’s corruption ranking stood at 6.50, the report stated.

“While Kazakhstan has established a stable and effective governance structure, the Nazarbayev administration continues to block political participation by groups that advocate reforms and exaggerates the potential threat posed by political, ethnic, or religious extremists,” the study warns.

Kazakhstan is expected to become one of the top 10 oil exporters by 2012. Continuing prosperity is likely to strengthen Nazarbayev’s authoritarian-minded political system, given that “oil and mineral resources are under the firm control of members of the regime, including friends and associates who hold many of the formal government posts.”

Control of the media by pro-government entities and the careful manipulation of NGOs have stifled political debate. The country’s media ranking was 6.75, according to the report. The study adds that the main opposition parties, Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DCK) and Ak Zhol, have been in disarray “owing to an administrative and legal clampdown on their activities and finances.”

The other so-called ‘opposition’ parties in Kazakhstan are bankrolled by forces with strong ties to the president including Asar, led by his eldest daughter, Dariga Nazarbayeva.

The judiciary’s record of dealing with civil and criminal cases has improved, but the handling of cases related to civil liberties remains poor. The Freedom House study’s ranking in the judicial framework and independence category stood at 6.25. The study forecasts that Nazarbayev will use his term in office to engineer a constitutional amendment to lift the two-term and age limits set for the president.