President Nursultan Nazarbayev has used both carrots and sticks in trying to hinder attempts by opposition groups in Kazakhstan to consolidate. The president's methods have proven successful in recent weeks, as he has been able to exploit strategic differences among opposition leaders.

Nazarbayev and his critics have been locked in a back-and-forth political scrum for over a year. [For additional information see the EurasiaNet's Opposition Reports]. As pressure has increased against his administration, Nazarbayev has sought to clamp down on freedom of speech and punish his leading critics by launching criminal cases against them. [For additional information see the Eurasia Insight archive]. In addition, the Kazakhstani president has implemented a new law on political parties that inhibits the ability of some opposition movements to legally operate.

Two major opposition entities, Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DCK) and the Republican National Party of Kazakhstan (RNPK) did not meet criteria for official registration under the new Law on Political Parties. Only one prominent opposition party, Ak Zhol, received a registration certificate. Both the DCK and RNPK have taken steps to continue political activities. The RNPK, for example, re-chartered itself as a "political club," while DCK is attempting to forge a united opposition bloc.

Hoping to keep his political opponents on the defensive, Nazarbayev scored a major political victory when he enticed Oraz Jandosov, an Ak Zhol leader, to accept an appointment as special economic advisor to the president. Some observers, including DCK activist Peter Svoik, believe the January 9 announcement of Jandosov's appointment would effectively neutralize Ak Zhol, which had the reputation of being the most moderate of the main opposition movements.

In sharp contrast, Nazarbayev is cracking down on his more implacable political opponents. On January 7, Kazakhstan's financial police announced that it was conducting an investigation of Amirzhan Kossanov, the RNPK executive committee chairman, for alleged tax evasion. The state says that the foundation that he heads, Reforma, owes approximately $16,000 in back taxes.

In an exclusive interview with EurasiaNet in New York, Kossanov insisted that he and his party complied with Kazakhstan's taxation legislation, calling the case against him politically motivated. "For the last five years, we have filed tax returns every year in full compliance with the law," Kossanov said. "Every year we were audited, and there were never any questions raised at the time.