On the charred side of a building in the troubled town of Zhanaozen in Kazakhstan’s energy-rich west hangs a poster of a smiling President Nursultan Nazarbayev above a slogan: “Congratulations on the Independence Holiday!”
Kazakhstan’s parliament is mulling legislative changes that would bestow vast, new powers on the incumbent president, Nursultan Nazarbayev. In addition to granting Nazarbayev the title of “leader of the nation,” he would gain the right to intervene in politics after he officially retired from the presidency and would enjoy enhanced immunity from prosecution.
