Kazakh Intrigue Pits President Nazarbayev Against Son-in-Law

Kazakh Intrigue Pits President Nazarbayev Against Son-in-Law

TASHKENT, Uzbekistan -- Authorities in Kazakhstan recently passed a constitutional amendment that could allow President Nursultan Nazarbayev to remain in office for the rest of his life, but a Shakespearean drama playing out among members of the country's ruling family has largely dominated the local media spotlight.

At issue is whether Nazarbayev, who has led Kazakhstan since the late 1980s, is running a politically motivated investigation into his son-in-law, who claims to have fallen out of the president's favor since privately revealing his own interest in running for president in 2012.

Actions taken over the past month by Kazakh authorities against Rakhat Aliyev, who is married to Nazarbayev's eldest daughter, have overshadowed the Kazakh parliament's approval of a measure allowing the president to stand for elections as many times as he wants.

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