Crossroads Asia | Politics | Central Asia

What to Make of Adilet, Kazakhstan’s Newest Political Party?

With Aibek Dadebay – until very recently the head of the presidential administration – at its head, Adilet looks to be just another pro-presidential parrot.

Two days after leaving his position in the presidential administration, Aibek Dadebay was elected chairman of a new political party in Kazakhstan: Adilet.

In mid-April Adilet’s formation was announced by varied group of professionals, from NGO leaders to political scientists to business figures. Their stated intention is to “consolidate the efforts of all responsible citizens to build and strengthen a Just State with a strong economy, broad prospects for all, and a credible position for our country in the global community.”

A “Just State” is an aspect of Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s “Just Kazakhstan” framing, itself paired with the “New Kazakhstan” pitch outlined in the wake of the January 2022 events and the constitutional referendum that year.

In his November 2022 second inauguration speech, Tokayev said, “Now our common goal is to build a Just Kazakhstan, where the law reigns and order is observed, and where the rights of citizens are duly respected.”

Dadebay, now head of Adilet, headed the presidential administration until May 5, a position he was appointed to in February 2024 after two years as Tokayev’s chief of staff.

It’s of little surprise then, that the emerging shape of Adilet is not as opposition but as yet another pro-presidential party as the country heads toward legislative elections in August.

Kazakhstan’s March 15 constitutional referendum made considerable changes to much of the country’s basic law. Among those changes was the replacement of the bicameral parliament with a unicameral legislature, the Kurultai. The Kurultai – which borrows its name from an ancient high-level gathering of political and military leaders common across the Eurasian Turkic-Mongol world – will have 145 deputies elected proportionally via party list to five-year terms. 

At present, Kazakhstan has seven officially registered political parties: Amanat, Auyl, Respublica, Ak Zhol, the People’s Party of Kazakhstan (PPK), the National Social Democratic Party (JSDP), and Baytaq, a green party. All but Baytaq have representatives in the outgoing parliament, but Amanat – formerly named Nur Otan – holds an overwhelming majority with 62 out of 98 seats in the Majilis, the lower house. 

Tokayev resigned as Amanat’s chairman in April 2022, calling it a symbolic step. He ran as a........

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