Last week the major opposition party of Kazakhstan, the “Nagyz Ak Zhol” [True Bright Path] has called a party congress and changed its name to “Azat” [Freedom] party. The “Nagyz Ak Zhol” is the most structured and populous democratic opposition party with a bright history (starting 2002) and even brighter leaders, among which are famous businessman Bulat Abilov, ex-governor of the National Bank Oraz Jandosov, and late Altynbek Sarsenvayev, ex-minister of information, murdered in February 2006.

It should be said that there is another “Ak Zhol” in Kazakhstan - a moderate party, not active at all, and belieed to be managed from the administration. Both parties used to be a single one organization, until they split in 2005 on political reasons. “True” ones wanted consolidation of the opposition and a more firm stance against the regime, while the “plain” ones did not want that. Both blamed each other for the split: the first ones said their antagonosts were puppets of the administration; meanwhile, the latter ousted them from the party.

The politically ridiculous and babyfaced name “True Ak Zhol” was not the very best option - the electorate was bewilered with having two parties with so similar names. This fact was playing a mean trick on the oppositionists — especially during the election campaigns. However, the new brand is also not too good. First of all, it is perceived as something too nationalistic, because in early 1990s there was a movement called Azat in Kazakhstan, and it quite chauvinist. 

Second of all, the former leaders of that movement are now strongly believed to be close to the regime - and potentially, the bewildering story may well repeat with the national-patriots registering their own party - say, “True Azat”. There was a second option of the new name - Azamat [Citizen], which sounds much better and could be perceived much better too, even though (or especially because) there was such party in 1990s, which was 1) a democratic, 2) a popular and 3) a positively-positioned one. “Azamat” was second to “Azat” with a very little hiatus.