TRANSITION AND CONSOLIDATION OF DEMOCRACY IN KAZAKHSTAN AND KYRGYZSTAN AFTER 1990: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

Abstract

In the early 1990s, with the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Central Asian countries became independent states and entered new political and social structuring processes. This process brought about political transformations that each country experienced in different ways. The transition to democracy and, in this context, the consolidation of democracy have become fundamental discussion topics in the Central Asian region, especially after the 1990s (Huntington 1991: 3-250). Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan stand out as countries that, despite various political and institutional differences in the region, claim to have taken steps towards democratization in the post-independence period. In this study, the processes of transition to democracy and consolidation of democracy in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan after 1990 will be addressed within a comparative framework. First, the theoretical background of the concepts of transition to democracy and consolidation will be discussed, followed by explanations of the case selection, scope of the research, limitations, methodological approach, and level of analysis. Subsequently, a discussion of the findings will be presented, and finally, the conclusion will include the study’s new and original contributions.