The latest drive by Kazakhstan to privatize many of its state-owned companies and reduce the government's role in the economy is off to a better start than previous efforts.
Yet the efforts by President Nursultan Nazarbayev to modernize the resource-rich former Soviet republic's economy will face crucial tests in the months ahead as attention turns to the most high-profile companies, including flag carrier Air Astana and Kazatomprom, the world's largest uranium producer. Investors remain scarred by previous experiences with state-backed companies and will need reassurance on policy continuity as the nation's founding president enters his twilight years.
