PHOTO: Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images. Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev at the Akkorda Palace in Astana, Kazakhstan, in 2016.
Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced his sudden resignation on Tuesday, March 19. Nazarbayev, 78, had been serving as Kazakhstan’s president since the country’s independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
"This year marks my 30th year in office as the supreme leader of our country. I was given the great honor of my great people to be the first president of independent Kazakhstan," Nazarbayev said in a televised address. “As the founder of an independent Kazakh state, I see my future task in ensuring a new generation of leaders coming to power who will continue the transformations being carried out in the country. I have taken a decision, which was not easy for me, to resign as president,” Nazarbayev said.
While Nazarbayev’s resignation came as a surprise, many political analysts do not think that the resignation will lead to any immediate major policy shifts. Nazarbayev said he would retain the post of the head of the country’s Security Council and leader of the governing Nur Otan party, and remain a member of the Constitutional Council. The Security Council sets guidelines for foreign and security policies, and many see that this post would enable Nazarbayev to continue to rule Kazakhstan as the power behind the throne.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Speaker of the Upper House of Parliament, will take over as Kazakhstan’s acting president for the remainder of his term which expires in April 2020.
Born in 1940, Nazarbayev came to power as first secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan in 1989 when it was a Soviet republic. After independence, he was re-elected in 1999, 2005, 2011, and 2015. During his long period in office Nazarbayev has focused on economic reform while resisting moves to democratize the political system.
Earlier on February 21, 2019, Nazarbayev dismissed the government, citing a lack of economic development despite Kazakhstan’s vast energy resources. “In many areas of the economy, despite the adoption of many laws and government decisions, positive changes have not been achieved,” Nazarbayev said in a statement. The cabinet sacking followed complaints and protests launched by low-income mothers who have demanded increased welfare payments, and ahead of a conference of the ruling party at the end of the month. 6 days later, Nazarbayev announced a spending package of several billion dollars on social programmes and state salaries, and also promised major investments in infrastructure.
BY MSEAP Cyber Secretariat (mseap@assembly.go.kr) |
