A spark of democracy in Central Asia
A country that has the longest border with Russia just took a big step to distance itself from its neighbor鈥檚 autocratic ways. In a June 5 referendum, voters in Kazakhstan approved changes to more than a third of their constitution. Coming five months after mass protests, the new amendments are aimed at bringing transparency and equality in a virtual one-party state.
One particular change may lead to an explosion of new political parties in the Central Asian nation. Perhaps like Ukraine before it, Kazakhstan could be moving toward a healthy democracy outside Moscow鈥檚 orbit of influence.
Until this year, much of the politics in Kazakhstan 鈥� the world鈥檚 ninth-largest country by area 鈥� involved competition among a political elite vying for the nation鈥檚 vast resources. That began to change Jan. 2 when thousands of young Kazakhs, angered by a sharp rise in fuel prices, took to the streets to demand more political freedom, greater opportunity in business, and an end to crony corruption. One activist, Galymzhan Zhakiyanov, called the protests an assertion of 鈥渘atural rights鈥� for each individual.
Pushed to speed up his reform efforts, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said last March: 鈥淭hose who were used to relying on behind-the-scenes schemes are panicking about losing their privileges and their sources of income.鈥�
Many of the constitutional changes, such as greater judicial independence, don鈥檛 go far enough for some activists. Nor has the president done enough to hold to account those responsible for the killing of some 200 protesters in January.
Yet the referendum has formalized popular demand for change. One key reform would push more authority to local government, an important check on centralized power. Just before last Sunday鈥檚 referendum, President Tokayev said implementing the changes would depend 鈥渙n the consciousness and creative participation of all citizens, because democracy is the daily painstaking work of each of us.鈥� He has called on the people to embrace 鈥減atience, wisdom and endurance.鈥�
Just as Ukraine鈥檚 growth in democracy has come in fits and starts 鈥� and now a Russian invasion 鈥� Kazakhstan has set its own path toward fully representative government. Its neighbors, in both China and Russia, might well be watching.
