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Article: Ambitions of the middle class; Kazakhstan.(Kazakhstan's politics)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- October 19, 2002
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A new political force could trouble the president
AFTER months of cracking down on political dissent and independent-minded newspapers, the Kazakhstani authorities appeared by late last year to have finally gained the upper hand. Two leading opposition figures were sentenced to several years in jail, a restrictive law on political parties was passed by parliament, and a well-known journalist was severely beaten. Although the various opposition groups were shaken by these events, they did not crumble. They now seem to have a second wind.
An opposition party, Ak Zhol (White Path), was believed to be the target of a law that had raised the minimum ...