Local Politics - The Times Of Central Asia

Viewing results 1 - 6 of 1013

Political Parties

Kazakhstan’s Party System Faces Its First Kurultai Test

Kazakhstan’s shift to a unicameral, party-list Kurultai is meant to strengthen political parties. But the ruling Amanat party’s June 12 vote to join the newly created Adilet party, followed by Adilet delegates’ approval on June 14, shows the first test of the new system will show whether the new party-list model broadens competition or mainly reorganizes the pro-presidential camp before the vote. Why Parties Matter Now On July 1, 2026, Kazakhstan’s new Constitution enters into force, abolishing the bicameral parliament and replacing it with a unicameral Kurultai of 145 deputies elected exclusively through party lists for a five-year term. The new basic law was approved in a referendum on March 15, 2026. According to the Central Election Commission, it was supported by 87.15% of voters, with turnout at 73.12%. More than 80% of the text of the 1995 Constitution was rewritten. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has said elections to the new Kurultai will take place in August 2026. That makes Kazakhstan’s political parties especially important to watch: for the first time since 2004, key parliamentary players could change substantially. But the early signal is mixed: formal rules strengthen parties as electoral institutions, while the merger of pro-presidential forces consolidates the dominant camp’s organizational advantages. How the Party System Works Kazakhstan is a presidential republic in which parties operate under the Law “On Political Parties.” Until 2022, registering a party required at least 1,000 initiators and at least 20,000 members. After political reforms announced by Tokayev on March 16, 2022, the minimum number of initiators was reduced to 700, while the membership threshold was lowered to 5,000. The minimum size of regional branches was also reduced from 600 to 200 people, and the period allowed for forming branches was extended from six months to one year. In 2023, 98 deputies were elected to the Mazhilis, the lower house of parliament: 69 through party lists and 29 in single-mandate constituencies. The threshold for party lists was lowered from 7% to 5%. Under the new Constitution, single-mandate constituencies are abolished at the national level, and all 145 deputies of the Kurultai will be elected through party lists. Without single-mandate districts, independent political figures will need party access to enter national politics. Parties also take part in elections to maslikhats, local representative bodies at district, city, and regional levels. Those elections were held simultaneously with parliamentary elections on March 19, 2023. Eight Parties: The Current Landscape As of June 2026, before the Amanat-Adilet merger process is completed, Kazakhstan has eight officially registered political parties, the highest number in two decades. Six are represented in the current Mazhilis: Amanat, Auyl, Respublica, Ak Zhol, the People’s Party of Kazakhstan, and the Nationwide Social Democratic Party. The seventh, the environmental party Baitaq, was registered on November 30, 2022, as Kazakhstan’s first “green” party. It failed to clear the 5% threshold in the 2023 elections, receiving 2.30% of the vote. The eighth, Adilet, was registered by the Ministry of Justice on June 1, 2026. It is headed by Aibek...

Education

Turkmenistan Sets New Rules for Mobile Devices in Schools

In 2020, Turkmenistan’s schools banned the use of mobile phones during classes. Now the government has introduced new rules regulating the use of portable devices in academic settings, seeking to use them as learning tools while addressing concerns about distraction and other potentially negative effects on students. A Ministry of Education order recognizes the value of mobile devices in education, saying they must provide access to learning resources, including multimedia content, and help students organize files that contain textbooks, courses, and other materials in electronic form. The devices must improve “the quality of educational management, especially in educational systems that do not have access to an internet connection,” the order says. However, the ministry order urges educational institutions to be aware of “the potential harm to students' health of small-screen mobile devices that limit the types and amounts of information,” the need to provide storage for mobile devices and the fact that bandwidth capacity decreases when a lot of users connect to the wireless network. It also mandates “ethical rules” that are designed to avoid disruption – setting devices to “silent” or “flight” mode and barring video, photo or audio recordings of students and teaching staff without their permission. The ministry issued the order on May 19 and the Ministry of Justice registered it in early June. In a report in March, UNESCO said that global monitoring showed that 114 education systems had a national ban on mobile phones in schools, representing 58% of countries worldwide. That was a significant increase over 40% in 2025 and just 24% in 2023, according to the U.N. cultural agency. “The growth reflects mounting concerns about declining attention in classrooms, cyberbullying, and the broader influence of digital environments on children,” UNESCO said. But it noted that the global picture was nuanced, with not all countries opting for full bans and instead establishing policies that govern the use of mobile devices in schools. The agency said that the various approaches to mobile device usage in schools show that “countries are still searching for the right balance between limiting distraction and teaching responsible technology use.” Turkmenistan’s new order applies to smartphones, tablets, laptops, smartwatches, and other personal electronic devices, and comes amid wider school digitalization efforts. The country maintains tight controls over internet access and online content.

Adilet Party

Fraudsters Attempt to Exploit Kazakhstan’s Adilet Party Name

Kazakhstan’s pro-presidential Adilet party says fake online accounts are unlawfully using its name to mislead citizens with offers of party membership cards as it prepares to merge with the ruling Amanat party. On June 12, Astana hosted Amanat’s 26th congress, where delegates voted in favor of the merger. For Adilet, joining Amanat would provide access to the ruling party’s nationwide branch network and large membership base. For Amanat, the merger is expected to help the party move beyond a political brand still closely associated with former President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Adilet, whose name translates as “Justice,” held its founding congress on May 7 and was officially registered by Kazakhstan’s Justice Ministry on June 1. Earlier this week, the party held its second congress, where delegates formally approved the merger with Amanat. Adilet has since reported a rise in fraudulent activity. According to the party, fake social media accounts and pages have appeared online, illegally using its name and posing as official representatives. “These resources are spreading false information about issuing party cards, registering members, and the party’s activities in general,” Adilet said in an official statement published on its website. “We officially declare that these accounts have no connection to the Adilet party. Any information distributed through them is false.” The party urged citizens to rely only on its official social media and website channels. It warned that the unauthorized use of the party’s name and symbols, as well as the dissemination of false information, may lead to legal liability under Kazakh law. Adilet said materials related to the fake accounts had been handed over to law enforcement authorities for further action. “We ask citizens not to share personal data with unknown individuals and to use only the party’s official communication channels,” the statement said.

Kazakhstan's Parliament

Amanat Adilet Merger as Kazakhstan Prepares for New Parliament

Kazakhstan’s long-dominant Amanat party has voted to merge into the newly formed pro-presidential Adilet party, transferring the machinery of the country’s ruling political force into a new vehicle more closely associated with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The move gives Adilet the campaign infrastructure and nationwide network of officials and activists that it lacked as a newly registered party. For Amanat, it offers a way to move beyond a political brand still closely associated with former President Nursultan Nazarbayev. Amanat held a congress in Astana on June 12 that is likely to be remembered as the final meeting of a political organization whose history spans a quarter of a century. For most of that period, the party was known as Nur Otan, the ruling party built around Nazarbayev and chaired by him for much of its existence. The rebrand followed the chaos of January 2022, officially referred to in Kazakhstan as the January Events, when protests triggered by fuel price rises grew into the most serious political crisis in the country’s post-Soviet history. The violence weakened Nazarbayev’s remaining influence and accelerated Tokayev’s effort to distance the political system from the Nazarbayev era. It also made Nur Otan’s association with the former president a political liability. Tokayev took over Nur Otan from Nazarbayev in January 2022. Two months later, the party was renamed Amanat. Tokayev stepped down from the party leadership in April, after Kazakhstan amended its legislation to prohibit the president from being a member of any political party. Since then, Amanat has been led by Yerlan Koshanov, an experienced official and Tokayev ally. At the congress, Koshanov acknowledged that the 2022 name change had failed to remove the party’s association with the previous political era. “Let us be frank,” he said. “Certain associations and assessments related to the party’s past still remain in public consciousness.” Amanat remains politically useful: it has the organization needed to contest elections. But its connection to Nazarbayev’s era sits uneasily with Tokayev’s attempts to present his presidency as a break with the old system. Koshanov told delegates that the country needed “new points of unity” rather than new divisions, and said Amanat should combine its resources with Adilet as part of a single pro-presidential force. Delegates unanimously approved the decision to join Adilet. New Kid On The Block Adilet, meaning “justice,” is a very new party. As previously reported by The Times of Central Asia, it held its founding congress on May 7 and was officially registered by Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Justice on June 1. Its chairman is Aibek Dadebay, a former head of Tokayev’s presidential administration. The party presents itself as a pro-presidential force built around the language of responsibility and reform. On June 14, Adilet held its second congress. Party leader Aibek Dadebay, addressing participants, proposed voting in favor of Amanat joining Adilet, describing it as a decision based on national responsibility and broader state interests rather than narrow party calculations. Delegates approved the merger, confirming that Adilet is less the creation of an...

Drone Production

Kyrgyzstan Expands Domestic Drone Production

A private research center near Bishkek is expanding production of unmanned and robotic systems as Kyrgyzstan invests more heavily in drones, robotics, and military modernization. The Times of Central Asia previously reported that Kyrgyzstan’s armed forces have expanded alongside sharp increases in defense spending, with drones receiving particular attention since Bishkek acquired its first combat drones in late 2021. The Nanospace Research Center, which operates with private funding, was established with support from Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, who allocated land for the facility and helped its founders establish cooperation with the country’s armed forces. According to Nanospace Director Ulan Salamatov, the center now holds a license to manufacture military-grade unmanned systems. “We assemble FPV drones, long-range reconnaissance drones, and ground robotic systems here. These machines can provide fire support or place explosives under enemy tanks,” Nanospace Director Ulan Salamatov told The Times of Central Asia. “Of course, we hope there will be no war, but in any case, we must be prepared.” Salamatov said the center initially copied foreign drone models before developing its own long-range reconnaissance drone, the SAARA-02. He claimed the drone was tested in Batken and used to support Kyrgyz forces during the 2021 Kyrgyz-Tajik border clashes. He said the center is now capable of independently producing high-altitude reconnaissance drones, with most parts manufactured in-house using 3D printers. Only chips and microprocessors are imported, while circuit boards and electronic systems are assembled at the facility. The center also produces FPV drones, though Salamatov said mass production remains limited by a lack of industrial machinery and equipment. In addition to aerial drones, Nanospace is building small, unmanned ground vehicles designed to deliver ammunition and supplies to frontline positions or evacuate wounded soldiers. Salamatov said the center is also working under contract with the Kyrgyz special forces to build the Kabylan combat vehicle, a robotic platform that can be equipped with machine guns or serve as a mobile drone-launching base. [caption id="attachment_50418" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] @TCA[/caption] Salamatov said the center plans to begin training students this autumn, opening its facilities to young engineers interested in robotics. The program will combine theoretical classes in the morning with practical training alongside the center’s engineers. Rocket engineering is another focus for the facility. Several prototype rockets developed by the team have already reached altitudes of two kilometers, Salamatov said. Engineers are now working on a rocket capable of reaching the stratosphere. If successful, he said, the center plans to launch a dedicated rocket engineering faculty next year.

Cancer Treatment

Uzbekistan Cancer Care Reforms to be Launched in 2027

Uzbekistan plans to overhaul cancer care from 2027, with reforms aimed at detecting tumors earlier and expanding palliative support for patients outside the country’s main medical centers. The National Cancer Control Program, developed with the participation of the World Health Organization and international experts, aims to bring oncology services closer to international standards while improving access to care in the regions. The proposals point to one of the central weaknesses in cancer care across much of the region: patients are often diagnosed late and forced to travel to major cities for specialist treatment. Two key metrics for the plan are firstly to increase targeted screening coverage for common cancers is to 60%, while the five-year survival rate among cancer patients is expected to increase from the current 35% to at least 45%. To achieve these goals, primary healthcare workers will receive additional training to identify early signs of cancer and ensure timely referrals to specialized medical institutions. That would put family doctors and local clinics at the center of the reform, rather than leaving patients to navigate the system only after symptoms have become harder to treat. The focus on primary care also fits a wider shift in Uzbekistan’s health policy. There is already a major effort to move more treatment and prevention work out of hospitals and into local clinics, with early intervention presented as a way to reduce pressure on specialist facilities. Officials also plan to establish rapid diagnostic pathways to shorten the time between initial examinations and confirmed diagnoses. Radiation therapy services will be also be modernized, with aging cobalt therapy equipment gradually replaced with modern linear accelerators. The equipment upgrades follow other recent moves to expand Uzbekistan’s specialist cancer infrastructure. TCA reported earlier this year that a Nuclear Medicine Center under construction in Tashkent is expected to be equipped with PET/CT scanners, a cyclotron, a radiopharmaceutical laboratory, and Gamma Knife and CyberKnife systems. A significant part of the reform package concerns palliative and hospice care. Beginning September 1, 2026, Uzbekistan plans to establish a unified nationwide system by integrating medical and social services. Mobile palliative care teams providing home-based medical and social services will be created, with every region of the country getting its own hospice institutions. A children’s palliative care center for patients with severe and incurable illnesses is also planned in the Samarkand region. The palliative-care proposals address one of the more visible gaps in Uzbekistan’s cancer system. Uzbekistan’s first children’s oncology hospice opened in Tashkent in August 2022, while plans for an adult hospice in the capital had been delayed for years. Authorities expect palliative and hospice care coverage to reach at least 80% by 2030. Patients requiring home care will receive specialized equipment, including functional beds and mattresses, through a voucher system. Family members will also be able to access a new “Family Support” service. The proposals additionally include social support measures for employees of state healthcare institutions. These include partial compensation of university tuition fees for the children of medical workers with...