Poverty, inequality and corruption: why Kazakhstan’s former leader is no longer untouchable

For years, Nursultan Nazarbayev has been used to performative adoration from the citizens of Kazakhstan. The country’s leader for nearly three decades, he was showered with praise and adulation at showpiece events, and his image smiled down from billboards across the country.When he stepped down in 2019, he was able to choose his successor, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and kept significant power as