Kazakh reshuffle addresses crises but not succession

Subject

Significance of Kazakh government reshuffle.

Significance

In recent weeks, President Nursultan Nazarbayev has forced the resignation of his ministers, appointed a new government and announced a major welfare package targeting families. The immediate trigger for the shake-up seems to have been a house fire tragedy which amplified simmering discontent with inequality and poverty. By dismissing the cabinet, Nazarbayev sought to apportion blame and demonstrate his responsiveness to public concerns.

Impacts

• Merely shifting a few ministers around does not add up to a considered response to public unease.
• Nazarbayev will keep everyone guessing with hints such as his recent query to the constitutional court about when presidents can resign.
• Prime Minister Askar Mamin looks more like an expedient choice than a possible successor.