Democratic Transition or Autocratic Adjustment? Constitutional Amendments in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in 2022–2023

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Date
2024
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Journal ISSN
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Publisher
Wydawnictwo KUL
Abstract
Central Asian states have recently implemented significant constitutional reforms. In the case of the authoritarian republics of Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, the nature of the constitutional amendments, introduced in 2022 and 2023, respectively, is hard to accurately assess. On the one hand, they are a step towards democratization and strengthened guarantees of human rights and freedoms; on the other, they reinforce the current undemocratic government mechanisms. This article discusses the most recent constitutional reforms in both countries, distinguishing three main areas of change: ideology, social issues, and governance mechanisms. It is argued that these reforms generally fall within the paradigm of authoritarian constitutionalism and are an adjustment of the countries’ constitutions to the current needs of their undemocratic presidents.
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Keywords
authoritarian constitutionalism, constitutional reforms in Central Asia, 2022 constitutional amendment in Kazakhstan, 2023 constitutional amendment in Uzbekistan
Citation
"Review of European and Comparative Law", 2024, Vol. 56, No 1, s. 187–205
URI
https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12153/6467
ISBN
Creative Commons License
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Review of European and Comparative Law, 2024, Vol. 56, No 1