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Big changes to the national election law in Kazakhstan, and an increase in civil rights for all people living in that nation, are all a result of the efforts of one man. President Nazarbayev (once a pawn of the Soviet Communist regime) is now the freely-elected head of Kazakhstan’s government, after a somewhat democratic election held in 2011.

Nazarbayev has every right, according to the nation’s laws, to remain the head of the state for the duration of his life. But his own recognition (within a decade of independence from the Soviet Union) that an independent Kazakhstan needed major reforms if it wanted to remain free may ultimately force him out of office.

The man behind Kazakhstan’s push for independence, once the head of the Kazakh Communist party, has a name that many in the West have difficulty even pronouncing. Nursultan Nazarbayev [NOOR-sool-tan NAH-za-bazh-ev] is the president of the nation of Kazakhstan, currently serving out at least three more years as that nation’s head of state. Nazarbayev is little-known outside of the tight-knit circle of Central Asian politics; a short article introducing the man to the Western world is necessary, in part because the media in the Americas doesn’t give Turkic news and politics the attention it deserves.

How long will Nazarbayev be Kazakhstan’s president?

Until 2010, it appeared Nursultan Nazarbayev would be the supreme commander of every facet of the country’s government until the day he died. At that time, the majority of Kazakh citizens were calling for new laws allowing him total control over the country until his death. In a totally unexpected move, the president responded by telling his people they would have their first independent election in April of 2011.

What reforms were brought about by Kazakhstan’s president?

Though the country’s first presidential election cemented the man’s popularity (he won more than 95% of the vote) it also gave him power to change the country’s political traditions. The changes he made included limiting his own term, scheduling regular presidential elections every five years (with a max term of a decade for any one leader), and giving local election boards more power to govern themselves.

Another major change often overlooked in stories about the man’s political influence – he insisted that Kazakhstan’s Parliament include at least two parties. Though this change is slow in coming, the beginnings of a multi-party system are appearing, including changes to restrictions on journalists that helped support a one-party monopoly.

What was Nazarbayev’s early life like?

He was born July 6th, 1940 to poor farmers living near the capital city of Almaty. As a boy, Nazarbayev witnessed the effects of Communist rule. Joseph Stalin was still in power in the president’s early childhood, and Stalin’s policy of collectivization led to the seizure of the family’s small farm, forcing them into a truly impoverished nomadic life.

What will be President Nazarbayev’s legacy?

Two major events in the near future will determine what the history books will say about Nursultan’s rule. The first is a second (and even more democratic) presidential election scheduled for late 2015. The second is a series of attempts by Kazakhstan to form new ties, commercially and diplomatically, with the US and other world powers.

Nazarbayev has the opportunity to step down as party leader and allow for debate and political squabbling between his ruling party and any of a dozen upstart activist groups.

Should he step down, even as his supporters call for him to serve as president for life, he could be remembered as the driving force behind a new Kazakhstani democracy, and reforms across Central Asia in the direction of freedom. Should he remain in power, there is a great risk that the country will remain under single-party rule for another decade.

Kazakhstan will be unable to transform their new-found deposits of precious minerals and other resources into wealth and prosperity without further liberalization of the government, which paradoxically may only occur if the country's supreme commander relinquishes power of his own accord.

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