This report sums up the activities of the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI) in Kazakhstan, which "conducted a civil society and political party strengthening program in the Republic of Kazakhstan from July 25, 1999 to January 31, 2005, with support from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)."1
The report states that the NDI focused on "participation in the electoral processes of the republic" and "working with political parties to grow stronger institutionally." It also details that the NDI had supported the "two most prominent opposition parties" in Kazakhstan, Ak Zhol and Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan1 :
NDI held individual party development consultations with the Civic Party, the newly-formed UDP, and the new opposition movements Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DCK) and Ak Zhol (Bright Path). NDI worked with Ak Zhol on membership recruitment and organized meetings with government leaders, international organizations and media for DCK representatives in Washington, D.C.
It is the very Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan party that the U.S. Embassy in Kazakhstan has identified in a December 2021 alert as being the instigator of the recent violent protests in Kazakhstan2 :
The opposition party Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan (DVK or DCK), which the Kazakhstani government has banned as an extremist group, is calling for demonstrations on December 16, 2021, at 12:00 p.m. to demand the resignation of Kazakhstan’s government, including First President Nazarbayev and President Tokayev, as well as freedom for all political prisoners.
- 1 a b "NDI Final Report, Republic of Kazakhstan-USAID Cooperative Agreement No. 116-0007-A-00-9014-00, Project Dates: July 25, 1999 to January 31, 2005," USAID, https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PDACF169.pdf.
- 2"Demonstration Alert: U.S. Mission Kazakhstan December 16, 2021," U.S. Embassy & Consulate in Kazakhstan, December 16, 2021, https://kz.usembassy.gov/demonstration-alert121521/.