Smart Authoritarianism: Nazarbayev’s resignation as a move to consolidate Kazakhstan’s 2017 constitutional reform

Un autoritarismo smart: le dimissioni di Nazarbayev, un passo per consolidare la riforma costituzionale del Kazakhstan del 2017 –

Abstract

The article focuses on
2017 constitutional reform in Kazakhstan within the context of 2019 resignation of the first
and only Kazakh President, Nursultan Nazarbayev. The aim is to show that Nazarbayev’s decision to resign represents a move of a smart authoritarianism to consolidate a power structure formally introduced in 2017. It is claimed, in particular, that the 2017 reform is at the heart of a new model of authoritarian succession, launched in Kazakhstan to ensure a controlled and peaceful power transition. If successful, Nazarbayev’s succession plan could become a model for other post-Soviet countries, such as Putin’s Russia.

Keywords: Non-democratic regimes; New model of authoritarian succession;
Democratization; Kazakhstan; Central Asia.