Nursultan Nazarbayev

Nursultan Nazarbayev
Нұрсұлтан Назарбаев
Nazarbayev in 2021
1st President of Kazakhstan
In office 16 December 1991 – 20 March 2019
Prime Minister	See list Uzakbay Karamanov Sergey Tereshchenko Akezhan Kazhegeldin Nurlan Balgimbayev Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Imangali Tasmagambetov Daniyal Akhmetov Karim Massimov Serik Akhmetov Karim Massimov Bakhytzhan Sagintayev Asqar Mamin
Vice President	Yerik Asanbayev (1991–96)
Preceded by	Office established (Himself as President of the Kazakh SSR)
Succeeded by	Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Chairman of the Security Council of Kazakhstan
In office 21 August 1991 – 5 January 2022
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Chairman of Nur Otan
In office 1 March 1999 – 28 January 2022
Acting	See list Sergey Tereshchenko Amangeldı Ermegiaev Bakhytzhan Zhumagulov
Deputy	See list Zharmakhan Tuyakbay Aleksandr Pavlov Amangeldı Ermegiaev
First Deputy	See list Bakhytzhan Zhumagulov Adilbek Zhaksybekov Darhan Kaletaev Nurlan Nigmatulin Bakhytzhan Sagintayev Bauyrjan Baibek Askar Myrzakhmetov Mukhtar Kul-Mukhammed Mäulen Äşimbaev Bauyrjan Baibek
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Chairman of the Assembly of People
In office 1 March 1995 – 28 April 2021
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Honorary Chairman of the Assembly of People
In office 28 April 2021 – 5 January 2022
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Office abolished
Honorary Chairman of the Organization of Turkic States
In office 25 April 2019 – present[1]
Kazakh SSR positions President of the Kazakh SSR In office 24 April 1990 – 16 December 1991 Vice President Sergey Tereshchenko (1990–1991) Yerik Asanbayev (1991) Preceded by Office established Succeeded by Office abolished (Himself as President of Kazakhstan) Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR In office 22 February 1990 – 24 April 1990 Premier Uzakbay Karamanov Preceded by Kilibay Medeubekov Succeeded by Erik Asanbayev First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan In office 22 June 1989 – 7 September 1991 Preceded by Gennady Kolbin Succeeded by Office abolished Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR In office 22 March 1984 – 27 July 1989 Chairman Bayken Ashimov Salamay Mukashev Zakash Kamaledinov Vera Sidorova Makhtay Sagdiyev Preceded by Bayken Ashimov Succeeded by Uzakbay Karamanov
Personal details
Born	Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev (1940-07-06) 6 July 1940 (age 84) Chemolgan, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
Political party	Amanat (since 1999)
Other political affiliations	Communist (1962–1991) Independent (1991–1999)
Spouse	Sara Konakayeva ​ (m. 1962)​
Children	Dariga Dinara Aliya
Signature
Website	nazarbayev.kz
Military service
Allegiance	Kazakhstan
Branch/service	Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Years of service	1991–2019
Rank	Supreme Commander
Central institution membership 2019–present: Honorary Chairman, Organization of Turkic States 2021–2022: Honorary Chairman, Assembly of People of Kazakhstan 2019–2023: Honorary Member, Senate of Kazakhstan 2019–2023: Member, Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan 1999–2022: Chairman, Nur Otan 1995–2021: Chairman, Assembly of People of Kazakhstan 1991–2022: Chairman, Security Council of Kazakhstan 1989–1991: Member, 17th Secretariat of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan 1986–1990: Full member, 27th & 28th Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union 1979–1984: Member, 14th & 15th Secretariat of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan

Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev^{[2][note 1]} (born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, from the country's independence in 1991^[3] until his formal resignation in 2019,^[4] and as the Chairman of the Security Council of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2022.^[5]

He held the special title of Elbasy^{[6][note 2]} from 2010 to 2022.^[7][8] Nazarbayev was one of the longest-ruling non-royal leaders in the world, having led Kazakhstan for nearly three decades, excluding chairmanship in the Security Council after the end of his presidency. He has often been referred to as a dictator due to usurpation of power and autocratic rule. Nazarbayev began his political career in 1962, joining the Communist Party of the Soviet Union while working as a factory steel worker. He held prominent positions within the party and in 1984, he was appointed as the Prime Minister of the Kazakh SSR by Dinmukhamed Kunaev. Nazarbayev became the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan in 1989. In 1990, he was elected as Kazakhstan's first president by the Supreme Soviet. Nazarbayev played a crucial role in opposing the 1991 coup d'état attempt by Soviet hardliners, which led to the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Nazarbayev ruled an authoritarian regime in Kazakhstan, where a pervasive cult of personality surrounded him,^[9][10][11] as human rights abuses were severe, dissent was suppressed, and elections were not free and fair.^[12][13] In the country's first direct presidential election, held in 1991, he appeared alone on the ballot with no opposing candidates and secured an overwhelming 98% of the vote. In 1995, he governed the country in a rule by decree, as the Supreme Council was absent. In April of that year, a presidential term referendum extended his presidency until 2000. Additionally, in August, constitutional referendum took place, significantly bolstering the executive powers through the introduction of a new draft for the Constitution of Kazakhstan. These actions consolidated Nazarbayev's authority and control over the country's political landscape. In 1999, Nazarbayev was re-elected second time for what was officially recognized as his first term, as the Constitutional Council's ruling in 2000 allowed him to run again in 2005 under the provisions of a 1995 amendment. Later, exploiting a 2007 amendment that removed term limits exclusively for Nazarbayev, he secured re-election in 2011 and 2015, serving his fourth and fifth terms as president. In 2018, the Parliament approved a constitutional amendment allowing Nazarbayev to lead the Security Council for life.

During Nazarbayev's presidency, Kazakhstan experienced a rapid economic growth in 2000s, driven by high oil prices and market-oriented reforms, establishing the country as a prominent economic power in Central Asia. Foreign investments in key industries fueled modernization and infrastructure development. Additionally, Nazarbayev's foreign policy approach emphasized maintaining good relations with major powers and actively integrating Kazakhstan into regional organizations such as the Eurasian Economic Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States and globally by becoming a member of the World Trade Organization. Moreover, he played a crucial role in nuclear disarmament efforts by renouncing the country's inherited nuclear arsenal and closing the Semipalatinsk Test Site. Despite these accomplishments, challenges persisted due to widespread corruption and nepotism linked to Nazarbayev and his family, which hindered transparency and accountability, posing significant obstacles to Kazakhstan's development. In addition, Nazarbayev's tenure also confronted a series of economic challenges, including the 2007–2008 financial crisis, the 2010s oil glut, and the Russo-Ukrainian War, in which these events contributed to the devaluation of the Kazakhstani tenge and triggered periods of inflation.

In March 2019, Nazarbayev resigned from the presidency amid anti-government rallies, handing power to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a close ally who went on to overwhelmingly win the snap presidential election in June 2019. Although he formally stepped down, Nazarbayev was widely considered a éminence grise in Kazakh politics, retaining significant influence as chairman of both the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan and Nur Otan until 2021 and chairing the Security Council until his dismissal amid the 2022 unrest.^[14] Protected by immunity from criminal prosecution until the 2022 constitutional referendum, Nazarbayev’s privileges were largely revoked thereafter. He continued to serve as an honorary member of the Senate and a member of the Constitutional Council until those titles were stripped in 2023.^[15]

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