When Kazakhstan’s ruling party, Nur Otan, obtained 71 percent of the vote in the January 10 parliamentary elections, nobody seemed surprised. While the 7 percent voting threshold seemed unsurmountable in 2007, when Nur Otan won all 98 seats, in 2012 two historically loyal parties entered the Majilis: the Democratic Party Ak Zhol and the Communist People’s Party of Kazakhstan. The …
