ASTANA, June 12 (Reuters) - Kazakhstan’s ruling Amanat party said on Friday it is merging itself into a party created earlier this year by allies of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev ahead of parliamentary elections expected in August.
At its congress in Astana, Amanat said it would become part of the Adilet, or “Justice” party, ahead of the polls. Amanat has secured large parliamentary majorities in every election it has contested.
The move comes amid an ongoing overhaul of Kazakhstan’s tightly controlled politics, with Tokayev set to step down when his term ends in 2029.
Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest economy and a major oil and gas producer, approved a new constitution in March in what some analysts see as preparation for an eventual handover of power.
Amanat has been in power since 1999, when it was created under the auspices of then President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who ruled Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2019.
The new Adilet party is seen as directly loyal to Tokayev, who Nazarbayev chose as his successor in 2019, with top aides to the president among its leadership.
In 2022, Kazakhstan was roiled by nationwide unrest that both Tokayev and outside observers say represented an attempt by Nazarbayev loyalists to retake power.
The violence left hundreds dead and resulted in a Russian-led peacekeeping force deploying in support of Tokayev.
(Reporting by Tamara Vaal; Writing by Felix Light; Editing by Jan Harvey)
