Democratic Transition or Autocratic Adjustment? Constitutional Amendments in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in 2022–2023
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...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin
2024-03-01
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| Series: | Review of European and Comparative Law |
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| Online Access: | https://czasopisma.kul.pl/index.php/recl/article/view/17105 |
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| author | Rafał Czachor |
| author_facet | Rafał Czachor |
| author_sort | Rafał Czachor |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d51305ddbbdf4fe88981c83486c2518a |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2545-384X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | The John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Review of European and Comparative Law |
| spelling | doaj-art-d51305ddbbdf4fe88981c83486c2518a2025-08-20T03:06:44ZengThe John Paul II Catholic University of LublinReview of European and Comparative Law2545-384X2024-03-0156110.31743/recl.17105Democratic Transition or Autocratic Adjustment? Constitutional Amendments in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in 2022–2023Rafał Czachor0Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Cracow UniversityCentral 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.https://czasopisma.kul.pl/index.php/recl/article/view/17105authoritarian constitutionalismconstitutional reforms in Central Asia2022 constitutional amendment in Kazakhstan2023 constitutional amendment in Uzbekistan |
| spellingShingle | Rafał Czachor Democratic Transition or Autocratic Adjustment? Constitutional Amendments in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in 2022–2023 Review of European and Comparative Law authoritarian constitutionalism constitutional reforms in Central Asia 2022 constitutional amendment in Kazakhstan 2023 constitutional amendment in Uzbekistan |
| title | Democratic Transition or Autocratic Adjustment? Constitutional Amendments in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in 2022–2023 |
| title_full | Democratic Transition or Autocratic Adjustment? Constitutional Amendments in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in 2022–2023 |
| title_fullStr | Democratic Transition or Autocratic Adjustment? Constitutional Amendments in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in 2022–2023 |
| title_full_unstemmed | Democratic Transition or Autocratic Adjustment? Constitutional Amendments in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in 2022–2023 |
| title_short | Democratic Transition or Autocratic Adjustment? Constitutional Amendments in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan in 2022–2023 |
| title_sort | democratic transition or autocratic adjustment constitutional amendments in kazakhstan and uzbekistan in 2022 2023 |
| topic | authoritarian constitutionalism constitutional reforms in Central Asia 2022 constitutional amendment in Kazakhstan 2023 constitutional amendment in Uzbekistan |
| url | https://czasopisma.kul.pl/index.php/recl/article/view/17105 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rafałczachor democratictransitionorautocraticadjustmentconstitutionalamendmentsinkazakhstananduzbekistanin20222023 |