Most central Asian countries today can be characterized as having authoritarian or semi-authoritarian forms of government. These governments typically have a single ruling party or ruling elite that holds a monopoly on power and restricts political freedoms, such as freedom of speech and freedom of assembly. They often have limited or no independent judiciary, and little to no separation of powers between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. Examples of central Asian countries with authoritarian or semi-authoritarian governments include Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan.
