Appointer Direct popular vote Formation 24 April 1990 | Inaugural holder Nursultan Nazarbayev | |
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Residence Ak Orda Presidential Palace Term length 5 years, renewable once (The 1st President is excluded from this limit) Succession Chairman of the Senate of Kazakhstan | ||
The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Kazakh: Қазақстан Республикасының Президенті, Qazaqstan Respuwblïkasınıñ Prezïdenti) is the head of state, Commander-in-chief and holder of the highest office within the Republic of Kazakhstan. The authorities of this position are described in special section of Constitution of Kazakhstan.
Contents
- Decoration of the President of Kazakhstan
- The President in the Constitution
- Latest election
- Presidents of the Republic of Kazakhstan 1990present
- References
The position was established on 24 April 1990, a year before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The first, and as of 2017 current and only President of Kazakhstan is Nursultan Nazarbayev.
None of the Presidential elections held in Kazakhstan have been considered free or fair by western countries or international observers with issues noted including ballot tampering, multiple voting, harassment of opposition candidates and press censorship.
Decoration of the President of Kazakhstan
The President of Kazakhstan's decorations include a breast mark and Standard of The President of Kazakhstan. According to a post The President of Kazakhstan granted cavalierity of the order of the "Gold Eagle" («Алтын Кыран»(«Золотой Орёл»)).
The President in the Constitution
Item 5 of Article 42 of the constitution determines that none can be elected president more than two terms in a row, but it also states that "The present restriction shall not extend on the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan."
Article 46 says that the President's "honor and dignity shall be inviolable" and that his expenses shall be paid by the state. Item 4 of the article outlines the special status and authority of the first president, and refers to a special constitutional act for definitions. According to this act, the first president possesses total, absolute and termless inviolability for all actions he performs during his being on a post. And till the death he sustains the government official. He also keeps ability to speak to people of Kazakhstan, keeps guards, communication, transport, state support of his activity, and official apartment and summer residence became his property with official maintenance. There is also pointed medical care, sanatorium, provision of pensions and insurance.
On April 26, 2015 Nursultan Nazarbayev was re-elected for his 5th presidency. The official ceremony of the inauguration took place at the Palace of Independence in Astana on April 29. At the inauguration ceremony the re-elected president ensured the nation that he would continue the 5 institutional reforms that he had offered earlier, which would contribute to the consistent growth and development of the country.
On January 25, 2017 President Nursultan Nazarbayev laid the ground work for reforms to the constitution that would redistribute executive powers to the parliament and ministries for purpose of more open and efficient governance.
Latest election
Prior to the 2011 election, President Nazarbayev wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post titled "Kazakhstan’s steady progress toward democracy".
Kazakhstan's 5th presidential election was held on April 26, 2015. Nursultan Nazarbayev was re-elected with 97.7% of the vote. 858 observers from 19 countries were present at the polling stations during the election.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and other international monitors criticised the election as unfair, with issues noted including the closure of media outlets critical of the government and the jailing of opposition activists. OSCE spokesperson Cornelia Jonker criticised the lack of a "genuine choice" for voters and also argued that there were "significant restrictions to the freedom of expression."
Presidents of the Republic of Kazakhstan (1990–present)
The first column consecutively numbers the individuals who have served as president, while the second column consecutively numbers the Presidential terms or administrations.