In Kazakhstan’s recent presidential elections, incumbent President Tokayev won an overwhelming majority, further consolidating his rule. Tokayev preaches democratisation. Yet, as Bakhytzhan Kurmanov argues, the elections were hardly democratic, and the reforms he proposes may mask an intent to strengthen his own position rather than empower Kazakh citizens
To understand today’s autocratic regimes, we should look at how they exploit social media, argues Bakhyzhan Kurmanov. In Kazakhstan, a referendum in the name of ‘open government’ is effectively a sham. What's more, it is a cover for autocratic practices of silencing dissent
Assistant Professor, International School of Economics, M. Narikbayev KazGUU University, Nur-Sultan (Astana), Kazakhstan
Bakhytzhan's research interests include open government, citizen activism, authoritarian politics, public sector reforms, and the political economy of the post-soviet countries.
His work has been published in several leading journals, including Journal of Eurasian Studies, Europe-Asia Studies, and Eurasian Geography and Economics.
Bakhytzhan also writes analytical pieces for East Asia Forum at the Australian National University and for the Central Asia Program at George Washington University.
He completed his PhD in Public Policy at Nazarbayev University in 2021, investigating Open Government reform in Central Asia.
Bakhytzhan received his Master's degree in public administration from the Australian National University in Canberra and his BA in public policy and management from York University in Toronto.
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