Absence Of Successor Puts Policy Continuity At Risk

Signs of worsening health conditions of President Nursultan Nazarbayev's, coupled with the absence of a strong candidate for succession, are a growing concern for policy continuity in Kazakhstan. This exacerbates a problem we had previously identified, namely the reliance of the whole Kazakh political system on the leadership of its current aging president. Timor Kulibayev, Nazarbayev's son-in-law, is starting to look as the most likely presidential successor, but doubts remain as to whether he will be up for the job and whether a smooth transition will be ensured.

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