In an interview with a Kazakh newspaper, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev openly criticised his predecessor while implicitly announcing his plans to stay in power. As the years go by, the criticism to Nazarbayev by his successor is becoming more direct and commonplace.
“There was even a joke: ‘Nazarbayev got promoted after his resignation, he had the President reporting to him.’ But in life there was no time for jokes,” the Kazakh president told the Ana Tili newspaper on January 3. It was a summary of the criticism he had launched moments earlier against the former president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, and his meddling after officially handing over the presidency to him.
“After resigning, but remaining the President of the Security Council, he, frankly, did not differ in political delicacy, regularly held meetings with the Prime Minister, Chairman of the National Bank, ministers, akims. Even foreign leaders and diplomats looked at this with surprise, not to mention our public,” he added.
Tokayev’s statement reflects what had been happening since 2019, after Nazarbayev himself chose the career diplomat as his successor. He continued to pull the most important strings and became the country’s face to the world, dealing with foreign leaders and diplomats. It was obvious at the time that Tokayev was a secondary figure to Nazarbayev, but he went along with it.
The duality of power caused “confusion” among the officials, as Tokayev put it. He was particularly displeased when at the Astana Club meeting in 2021 Nazarbayev mentioned the possibility of returning to the presidency as the elderly Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad had done. A few months later, the January 2022 protests (or Qandy Qantar – Bloody January) erupted and Nazarbayev lost his power.
When analysing the lessons learnt from the protests, Tokayev implicitly had another go at his predecessor: “First, power in the country must be consolidated, no dual power,” as was the case after Nazarbayev resigned from the presidency. “Second, the Head of State – is a state manager hired for a certain period of time, and not ‘the shadow of the Almighty’.” He just missed adding the term Elbasy or Leader of the Nation, as Nazarbayev used to be called.
It is not the first time President Tokayev has a go at his predecessor. He has done it multiple times since 2022, criticising his rule had created “a layer of wealthy people, even by international standards” or how he openly told Nazarbayev that the arrogance of his close associates had almost destroyed the country. But this time the attacks have been more direct and span over a number of paragraphs. As years have gone by, and Tokayev has cemented his grip on power, he has gradually opened up publicly regarding the former president.
Tokayev to stay in power for ‘many years to come’
Tokayev’s interview was not without its contradictions. While he criticised Nazarbayev’s for staying in power for almost three decades (“the Head of State is hired for a certain period time”) he himself hints at doing precisely the same.
When asked about rumours of Tokayev’s bid to head the United Nations in 2026 and thus holding early presidential elections, he dismissed the idea: “I have big plans for the development of the country for many years to come, which I intend to implement.”
It is unclear what Tokayev means when he says “many years to come”, but this will already be his sixth year as president. It is ironic that the 71-year old criticised Nazarbayev for holding to power while he is precisely following on his footsteps in that regard.
Tokayev’s criticism of Nazarbayev and his plans to remain power is a good example of what has happened in Kazakhstan since 2022. Things have changed for nothing to really change.
(Photo credit: Akorda.kz)