President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev became the second President of Kazakhstan in 2019, ending the 28-year rule of Nursultan Nazarbayev. President Tokayez has gradually introduced reform and is leading the country into a more democratic and transparent nation. January 2022 saw some violent outbreaks, but a June referendum has given the President the mandate to push ahead with reforms. Significant reforms include limiting the presidential rule to one 7-year term (the previous president was re-elected 5 times) and reverting to the original name of the capital city, Astana. It had been renamed Nur-Sultan in 2019 in honour of the first President.
Source of Influence: Political
Status: Featured in current year