Kazakhstan President

Nursultan Nazarbayev

In April of 2011, Nursultan Nazarbayev was reelected to a five-year term as Kazakhstan’s President. President Nazarbayev was born on July 6, 1940 in the village of Chemolgan, Kaskelen District, Almaty region. In 1967, he graduated from the Highest Technical Educational Institution at the Karaganada Metallurgic Works.

He is a Doctor in Economics, Academician of the National Academy of the Republic of Kazakhstan, International Academy of Engineering, Russian Federation Academy of Social Sciences, Honorable Professor of the Al-Farabi Kazakh State National University, Honorable Member of the Academy of Science of the Republic of Belarus, Honorable Professor of the Lomonosov Moscow State University.

From 1960 through 1969, he worked at the Karaganda Metallurgical Works.

From 1969 through 1973, he was involved in the Party and Komsomol work in Temirtau of the Karaganda region. From 1973 to 1977, he was a secretary of the party committee at the Karaganda Metallurgic Works.

From 1977 through 1979, he served as secretary, and then second secretary of the Regional Committee of the Party in Karaganda.

From 1979 through 1984, he served as Secretary of the Committee of the Communist Party of the Republic of Kazakhstan. From 1984 through 1989, he was a Chairman of the Ministers Council of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic.

From 1989 through 1991, he served as First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. From February to April 1990, he concurrently served as Chairman of the Supreme Council of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic.

On December 1, 1991 the first national presidential elections were held where Nursultan Nazarbayev had been supported by 98.7 percent of electors.

On January 10, 1999 he was elected the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the alternative basis with 79.78 per cent of electors.

On December 4, 2005 he was again elected President of the Republic of Kazakhstan supported by 91.15 per cent of electors.

In 2010 President Nazarbayev rejected a call from constituents to hold a referendum to keep him in office until 2020 and, instead, insisted on an election to be held in April 2011. President Nazarbayev received 95.54 percent of the vote with 89.9 percent of registered voters participating. Many observers lauded the substantial progress toward Kazakhstan’s democracy.

Nursultan Nazarbayev is married to Sara Alpysovna. She chairs the ‘Bobek’ International Children Charitable Fund.

The President has three daughters. Dariga is a Doctor in Political Science. Dinara is chairing the Nursultan Nazarbayev Educational Fund. Aliya is a businesswoman, chairing the Elitstroy Construction Company.

President Nazarbayev has been a leader in Nuclear Security and Non-Proliferation.  At the time of gaining Independence in 1991, Kazakhstan had among the largest stockpiles of nuclear weapons in the world. Within 5 years after Independence, President Nazarbayev completely disarmed Kazakhstan setting a precedent for the rest of the world to follow.  At the 2010 Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, DC, Presidents Obama and Nazarbayev met and underlined the 15-year track record of close cooperation between Kazakhstan and the United States and success in reducing nuclear threats in Kazakhstan and around the world.  They share the vision of a world without nuclear weapons.  The U.S. acknowledged the leadership of President Nazarbayev and the contribution of Kazakhstan to nuclear disarmament and nonproliferation.

In April 2011, President Obama and President Nazarbayev spoke by phone to discuss a wide range of issues in bilateral relations between the United States and Kazakhstan.  The two presidents discussed our many cooperative efforts regarding nuclear security, including securing nuclear material from the BN-350 reactor, and reviewed progress on meeting goals that the two presidents established during their bilateral meeting at the Nuclear Security Summit last year.  President Obama also thanked President Nazarbayev for his support for our mutual efforts to foster security and prosperity in Afghanistan.

Please visit President Nazarbayev’s official website