 |
Nursultan NazarbaevFirst president of Kazakhstan
Date of Birth: 06.07.1940
Country:  Kazakhstan |
Content:
Biography of Nursultan Nazarbayev
First President of KazakhstanUsually, long-term rule is a privilege of monarchs and dictators, while leaders who come to power through elections rarely stay in office for more than two terms. Nursultan Nazarbayev took the position of the highest leader of the Soviet Union in 1989, became the President of Kazakhstan in 1990, and announced his voluntary retirement almost thirty years later. Until now, he has been the longest-serving representative of supreme power in the USSR. Nazarbayev held the official title of "Leader of the Nation" and was accused of totalitarianism, creating a cult of personality, illegal enrichment, corruption, and much more. At the same time, it cannot be denied that under his leadership, Kazakhstan became one of the most successful states in the post-Soviet space, managed to avoid national and social conflicts, transitioned to a non-nuclear policy, and strengthened the status of the national language.
Early Life
The beginning of Nursultan Nazarbayev's biography is typical for a Soviet leader. He was born on July 6, 1940, in the village of Chemolgan, Kergelen District of Almaty Region. His father, Abish, was the son of a wealthy man who owned an irrigation ditch and a water mill, and his mother, Alzhan, was the daughter of a religious leader. Despite their background, they worked as shepherds and raised four children, who had to work from an early age. The eldest daughter helped with household chores, while the three sons herded cattle and prepared feed for them. Despite the challenging work, Nursultan excelled academically, often receiving top grades. He also played the accordion and participated in wrestling. In the Nazarbayev family, ancestral traditions were highly respected, and the children knew not only the folk rituals and songs but also the names of their twelve ancestors from both their paternal and maternal lines. After completing seven grades of school, Nursultan moved to Temirtau, where a metallurgical plant was being built at the time. He was selected for training at the Dniprodzerzhynsk Vocational School, and after graduating in 1960, he was sent to the Karaganda Metallurgical Plant, where he worked on casting machines. It was there, in the workshop, during an accident on the blast furnace, that he met his future wife, Sara Kunakayeva, who worked as a production norm specialist. In 1962, the young couple got married, and a year later, their daughter Dariga was born. Nursultan continued to work while studying at the Karaganda Metallurgical Institute, where he was an active member of the Komsomol youth organization before joining the Communist Party. In 1973, he became the secretary of the party committee at the plant, and in 1978, he began working at the Karaganda Regional Party Committee. Within a year, Nazarbayev was elected secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan, and later he held the post of Chairman of the Republican Council of Ministers and became a member of the Politburo. By this time, two more daughters, Dinara and Aliya, were born into the family. During the years of perestroika, Nazarbayev's political career did not decline. He found common ground with Mikhail Gorbachev and became the Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1986, after the retirement of Dinmukhamed Kunayev, Gennady Kolbin was elected as the secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. However, Kolbin, who had previously served as the first secretary of the Ulyanovsk Regional Party Committee, appointed by Moscow, lacked knowledge of the Kazakh language and local traditions. His appointment, against the backdrop of growing national tensions, sparked mass protests. To suppress the unrest, troops were sent in, resulting in casualties and arrests. In June 1989, Kolbin was removed from office, and Nursultan Nazarbayev became the first secretary of the Central Committee of the Kazakh Communist Party. Soon after, he was elected to the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and became a member of the revision commission. In 1989, Nazarbayev's uncontested candidacy was approved by the Supreme Soviet for the position of President of the newly independent Kazakhstan. As the new president, he pursued a policy of preserving the Soviet system and advocated for the preservation of the USSR within a confederation. According to preliminary agreements, he was supposed to become the head of the new state entity, but this was disrupted by the 1991 coup. On August 28, Nazarbayev announced his departure from the Communist Party, and on December 1, Kazakhstan held uncontested presidential elections in which he received 98.7% of the votes. After the signing of the Belavezha Accords, in which the new president did not participate, legislation for independent Kazakhstan was approved, along with the Almaty Declaration on the principles of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Nazarbayev's powers were extended until 2000 through a referendum, and in the 1999 and 2005 elections, he received 19.78% and 91.15% of the votes, respectively. In 1997, Astana (formerly known as Akmolinsk and Tselinograd) became the new capital of Kazakhstan, where a special economic zone regime was introduced, leading to an influx of population and rapid urban development. In 1999, Nazarbayev founded the "Otan" party, which became the main political force in Kazakhstan. It is not surprising that the popularity of the president continued to grow, with his support exceeding 95% in the 2005 and 2011 elections. Moreover, in 2010, the Kazakhstani parliament approved the constitutional title of "Leader of the Nation" for Nazarbayev and granted him and his family members immunity from any form of prosecution. A law was also initiated to extend his presidential powers until 2020. After gathering signatures, it was passed by the parliament but later invalidated by the Constitutional Court, possibly due to protests in the Mangystau Region. As usual, there was a lot of information surrounding the "Leader of the Nation" that did not align with official data. Primarily, this related to high positions held by his relatives and the billionaire status of the president, his daughters, and sons-in-law. The wedding of Nazarbayev's daughter, Aliya Nazarbayeva, to the son of the Kyrgyzstan's president, Aidar Akaev, attracted significant media attention, as it had political implications. However, both the family and political unions lasted only four years, and in 2002, the couple separated, leading to numerous scandalous rumors in subsequent years. There was even greater controversy surrounding Nursultan Abishovich's relationship with his lawful wife. Photographic evidence was published, showing that in 2000, Sara Alpysovna obtained a new passport with her maiden name and has since only appeared in public during protocol ceremonies. This was believed to be due to the president's relationship with a young flight attendant, Gulnara Rakhisheva, who, according to Kazakh customs, was referred to as the "tokal" (junior wife). Gulnara gave birth to two daughters (unofficially recognized) and was gifted the airline "Air Astana" by Nazarbayev. Despite the controversy surrounding him, Nursultan Nazarbayev continued to wield influence on the post-Soviet stage, serving as the Chairman of the Council of Heads of State of the CIS from 2006 to 2007. In the early elections of 2015, he garnered 97.75% of the votes. However, his international reputation declined rapidly. He was called a dictator, criticized for the lack of freedom of speech and high levels of corruption, the concealment of income sources, and the acquisition of real estate abroad through proxies. In Kazakhstan itself, films were made about Nazarbayev, streets were named after him, and state holidays associated with him were established. Criticism of the president in the country was legally persecuted, and a book by his former son-in-law was banned. However, on March 19, 2019, unexpected news came - a statement from Nazarbayev that he voluntarily resigns from his position as president. His duties until the elections were transferred to the speaker, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Nazarbayev himself continues to lead the party he founded and also heads the Security Council. The capital of Kazakhstan was renamed Nur-Sultan once again.
