View source for Nursultan Nazarbayev

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name           = Nursultan Nazarbayev
|office         = [[President of Kazakhstan|1st President of Kazakhstan]]
|native_name    = Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев<br><small>Nursultan Äbişulı Nazarbayev</small>
|image          = Nursultan Nazarbayev 27092007.jpg
|predecessor    = Position established
|primeminister  = [[Sergey Tereshchenko]]<br>[[Akezhan Kazhegeldin]]<br>[[Nurlan Balgimbayev]]<br>[[Kassym-Jomart Tokayev]]<br>[[Imangali Tasmagambetov]]<br>[[Daniyal Akhmetov]]<br>[[Karim Massimov]]<br>[[Serik Akhmetov]]<br>[[Karim Massimov]]<br>[[Bakhytzhan Sagintayev]] 
|successor      = 
|signature      = Signature of Nursultan Nazarbayev.png
|office2        = [[List of Chairmen of the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic|Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic]]
|predecessor2   = [[Kilibay Medeubekov]]
|primeminister2 = [[Uzakbay Karamanov]]
|successor2     = [[Yerik Asanbayev]]
|party          = [[Communist Party of Kazakhstan|Communist Party]] {{small|(1962–1991)}}<br>[[Independent (politician)|Independent]] {{small|(1991–1999)}}<br> [[Nur Otan]] {{small|(1999–present)}}
|office1        = [[Nur Otan|2nd Chairman of Nur Otan]]
|predecessor1   = [[Bakhytzhan Zhumagulov]]
|president1     = 
|successor1     = 
|birth_name=Nursultan Äbishuly Nazarbayev
|birth_date     = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1940|7|6}}
|birth_place    = [[Ushkonyr|Chemolgan]], [[Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic|Kazakh SSR]], [[Soviet Union]]<br>{{small|(now Ushkonyr, [[Kazakhstan]])}}
|death_date     = 
|death_place    = 
|spouse         = [[Sara Nazarbayeva|Sara Alpysqyzy Nazarbayeva]] {{small|(1962–present)}}
|children       = [[Dariga Nazarbayeva|Dariga]]<br>[[Dinara Nazarbayeva|Dinara]]<br>[[Aliya Nazarbayeva|Aliya]]
|dynasty     = Nazarbayev
|religion       = [[Sunni Islam]]{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}
|term_start     = 16 December 1991
|term_end       = 
|term_start1    = 4 July 2007<ref>{{cite web|author=|url=http://enews.ferghana.ru/article.php?id=2025 |title=President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev is the head of the Nur Otan party |publisher=Enews.ferghana.ru |date=21 August 2014 |accessdate=21 August 2014}}</ref>
|term_end1      =
|term_start2    = 22 February 1990
|term_end2      = 24 April 1990
|office3        = [[Communist Party of Kazakhstan|First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakh SSR]]
|term_start3    = 22 June 1989
|term_end3      = 14 December 1991
|predecessor3   = [[Gennady Kolbin]]
|successor3     = Position abolished
|office4        = [[Prime Minister of Kazakhstan|Prime Minister of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic]]
|1blankname4    = {{nowrap|Chairman of the}}<br>Supreme Soviet
|1namedata4     = [[Bayken Ashimov]]<br>[[Salamay Mukashev]]<br>[[Zakash Kamaledinov]]<br>[[Vera Sidorova]]<br>[[Makhtay Sagdiyev]]
|term_start4    = 22 March 1984
|term_end4      = 27 July 1989
|predecessor4   = [[Bayken Ashimov]]
|successor4     = [[Uzakbay Karamanov]]
| office5       = Full member of the [[28th Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|28th]] [[Politburo of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Politburo]] 
| term_start5   = 14 July 1990
| term_end5     = 29 August 1991
}}
'''Nursultan Äbishuly Nazarbayev'''<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S7VG1yZP52gC&pg=PT57 |title=Principles of International Politics – Bruce Bueno de Mesquita – Google Books |publisher=Books.google.com |date=14 January 2013 |accessdate=21 August 2014}}</ref> ({{lang-kk|Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, ''Nursultan Äbişulı Nazarbayev''}} {{IPA-kk|nʊrsʊlˈtɑn æbəʃʊˈlə nɑzɑrˈbɑ.jɪf|}}; {{lang-ru|link=no|Нурсултан Абишевич Назарбаев, ''Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev''}} {{IPA-ru|nʊrsʊlˈtan ɐˈbʲiʂɨvʲɪtɕ nəzɐrˈbajɪf|}}; born 6 July 1940) is the [[President of Kazakhstan]]. He has been the country's leader since 1989, when he was named First Secretary of the [[Communist Party of Kazakhstan|Communist Party]] of the [[Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic|Kazakh SSR]], and was [[Kazakhstani presidential election, 1991|elected]] the nation's first president following its independence from the [[Soviet Union]] in December 1991. He holds the title 'Leader of the Nation'.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/24/kazakhstan-election-avoids-question-of-nazarbayev-successor|title=Kazakhstan election avoids question of Nazarbayev successor|last=Walker|first=Shaun|date=2015-04-24|newspaper=The Guardian|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077|access-date=2016-09-08}}</ref> In April 2015, Nazarbayev [[Kazakhstani presidential election, 2015|was re-elected]] with almost 98% of the vote.

Nazarbayev has suppressed dissent, been accused of human rights abuses by several human rights organizations, and presided over an authoritarian regime.<ref name="dissent"/> No election held in [[Kazakhstan]] since independence has met international standards.<ref name="Chivers">
{{cite news
|last=Chivers
|first=C.J.
|title=Kazakh President Re-elected; voting Flawed, Observers Say
|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/06/international/asia/06kazakhstan.html?_r=0
|accessdate=2 April 2014
|work=The New York Times
|date=6 December 2005
|quote=Kazakhstan has never held an election that met international standards.
}}
</ref> In 2010 he announced reforms to encourage a multi-party system.<ref name="dissent">
{{cite news
|last=Pannier
|first=Bruce 
|title=Kazakhstan's long term president to run in snap election – again |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/11/kazakhstan-president-early-election-nursultan-nazarbayev
|accessdate=13 March 2015
|work=[[The Guardian]]
|date=11 March 2015
|quote=Nazarbaev has clamped down on dissent in Kazakhstan, and the country has never held an election judged to be free or fair by the West.
}}
</ref>

In January 2017, President Nazarbayev proposed constitutional reforms that would delegate powers to the parliament.<ref name="voa1">{{cite news|title=Kazakh Leader Ready to Devolve Some Powers to Parliament, Cabinet|url=http://www.voanews.com/a/kazakh-president-nazarbayev-to-delegate-powers-to-parilament-cabinet/3692261.html|agency=Voice of America}}</ref>

==Early life==
Nazarbayev was born in [[Chemolgan]], a rural town near [[Almaty]], when Kazakhstan [[Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic|was one of the republics]] of the [[Soviet Union]].<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=11}}</ref> His father was a poor labourer who worked for a wealthy local family until Soviet rule confiscated the family's farmland in the 1930s during [[Joseph Stalin]]'s [[Collectivization in the Soviet Union|collectivization]] policy.<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=16}}</ref> Following this, his father took the family to the mountains to live out a nomadic existence.<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=20}}</ref>

His father avoided compulsory military service due to a withered arm he sustained when putting out a fire.<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=21}}</ref> At the end of [[World War II]] the family returned to the village of Chemolgan, and Nazarbayev began to learn the [[Russian language]].<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=22}}</ref> He performed well at school, and was sent to a boarding school in [[Kaskelen]].<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=23}}</ref>

After leaving school he took up a one-year, government-funded scholarship at the Karaganda Steel Mill in [[Temirtau]].<ref name="page 24">{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=24}}</ref> He also spent time training at a steel plant in [[Kamianske|Dniprodzerzhynsk]], and therefore was away from Temirtau when riots broke out there over working conditions.<ref name="page 24"/> By 20, he was earning a relatively good wage doing "incredibly heavy and dangerous work" in the blast furnace.<ref name="=page 26">{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=26}}</ref>

He joined the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Communist Party]] in 1962, becoming a prominent member of the Young Communist League.<ref name="=page 26"/> and full-time worker for the party, and attended the Karagandy Polytechnic Institute.<ref name="page 27">{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=27}}</ref> He was appointed secretary of the Communist Party Committee of the Karaganda Metallurgical Kombinat in 1972, and four years later became Second Secretary of the Karaganda Regional Party Committee.<ref name="page 27"/>

In his role as a bureaucrat, Nazarbayev dealt with legal papers, logistical problems and industrial disputes, as well as meeting workers to solve individual issues.<ref name="page 27"/> He later wrote that "the central allocation of capital investment and the distribution of funds" meant that infrastructure was poor, workers were demoralized and overworked, and centrally set targets were unrealistic; he saw the steel plant's problems as a microcosm for the problems for the Soviet Union as a whole.<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=28}}</ref>

===Rise to power===
[[image:RIAN archive 41059 CIS heads of state.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Nazarbayev (second from left) at the signing of the [[Alma-Ata Protocol]], December 1991]]
In 1984, Nazarbayev became the [[Prime Minister of Kazakhstan]] (chairman of the Council of Ministers), under [[Dinmukhamed Kunayev]], the [[General Secretary|First Secretary]] of the [[Communist Party of Kazakhstan]].<ref name=ZHELTOQSAN>
{{cite book
|author=Sally N. Cummings
|title=Power and change in Central Asia
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TkTJTl_mKmYC&pg=RA1-PA60
|accessdate=3 February 2011
|year=2002
|publisher=Psychology Press
|isbn=978-0-415-25585-1
|pages=59–61
}}</ref> At the 16th session of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan in January 1986,Nazarbayev criticized Askar Kunayev, head of the Academy of Sciences, for not reforming his department. Dinmukhamed Kunayev, Nazarbayev's boss and Askar's brother, felt deeply angered and betrayed. Kunayev went to Moscow and demanded Nazarbayev's dismissal while Nazarbayev's supporters campaigned for Kunayev's dismissal and Nazarbayev's promotion.

Kunayev was ousted in 1986 and replaced by a Russian, [[Gennady Kolbin]], who despite his office had little authority in Kazakhstan.  Nazarbayev was named party leader on 22 June 1989--<ref name=ZHELTOQSAN/> only the second Kazakh (after Kunayev) to hold the post. He was [[List of Presidents of Kazakhstan|Chairman of the Supreme Soviet]] ([[List of Presidents of Kazakhstan|head of state]]) from 22 February to 24 April 1990.

On 24 April 1990, Nazarbayev was named the first [[List of Presidents of Kazakhstan|President of Kazakhstan]] by the [[Supreme Soviet]]. He supported Russian President [[Boris Yeltsin]] against the [[1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt|attempted coup in August 1991]] by [[State Committee on the State of Emergency|Soviet hardliners]].<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=73}}</ref> Nazarbayev was close enough to Soviet leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] for Gorbachev to consider him for the post of [[Vice President of the Soviet Union]]; however, Nazarbayev turned the offer down.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/614785/Union-of-Soviet-Socialist-Republics|title=Union of Soviet Socialist Republics - historical state, Eurasia|publisher=}}</ref>

The Soviet Union disintegrated following the failed coup, though Nazarbayev was highly concerned with maintaining the close economic ties between Kazakhstan and Russia.<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=81}}</ref> In the country's first presidential election, held on 1 December, he appeared alone on the ballot and won 91.5% of the vote.<ref>{{cite book|author=James Minahan|title=Miniature empires: a historical dictionary of the newly independent states|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RSxt-JB-PDkC&pg=PA136|accessdate=3 February 2011|year=1998|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-0-313-30610-5|pages=136–}}</ref> On 21 December, he signed the [[Alma-Ata Protocol]], taking Kazakhstan into the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]].<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=82}}</ref>

==Presidency==
[[File:20060929-5 d-0453-1-515h.jpg|thumb|Nazarbayev with US President [[George W. Bush]] at the White House in September 2006.]]

Nazarbayev renamed the former State Defense Committees as the Ministry of Defense and appointed [[Sagadat Nurmagambetov]] as [[Defense Minister]] on 7 May 1992. The [[Supreme Council (Kazakhstan)|Supreme Council]], under the leadership of Speaker Serikbolsyn Abdilin, began debating over a draft constitution in June 1992. The constitution created a strong [[executive branch]] with limited [[Separation of powers|checks]] on executive power.<ref name="Cambridge University Press">{{cite book|author1=Karen Dawisha|author2=Bruce Parrott|title=Russia and the new states of Eurasia: the politics of upheaval|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8P3pOV4CWJsC&pg=PA317|accessdate=3 February 2011|year=1994|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-45895-5|pages=317–318}}</ref>

Opposition political parties [[Azat Party|Azat]], [[Jeltoqsan Party|Zheltoqsan]] and the [[Republican Party of Kazakhstan|Republican Party]], held demonstrations in [[Almaty]] from 10–17 June calling for the formation of a [[coalition government]] and the resignation of the government of Prime Minister Sergey Tereshchenko and the Supreme Council. The [[Parliament of Kazakhstan]], composed of Communist Party legislators who had yet to stand in an election since the country gained its independence, adopted the constitution on 28 January 1993.<ref name="Cambridge University Press"/>

An April 1995 [[referendum]] extended his term until 2000. He was re-elected in January 1999 and again in December 2005. The [[Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe]] criticized the last presidential election as falling short of international democratic standards.<ref>[http://www.osce.org/odihr-elections/16471.html Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights – Elections]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150709175625/http://www.osce.org/odihr-elections/16471.html |date=9 July 2015 }}</ref> On 18 May 2007, the [[Parliament of Kazakhstan]] approved a [[2007 Amendment to the Kazakhstani Constitution|constitutional amendment]] which allowed the incumbent president—himself—to run for an unlimited number of five-year terms.  This amendment applied specifically and only to Nazarbayev: the original constitution's prescribed maximum of two five-year terms will still apply to all future presidents of Kazakhstan.<ref>[http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-kazakh19may19,1,4692433.story?coll=la-headlines-world "Kazakhstan lifts term limits on long-ruling leader", ''Los Angeles Times'']. Latimes.com (19 May 2007). Retrieved on 3 February 2011.</ref>

Nazarbayev appointed [[Altynbek Sarsenbayev]], who at the time served as the Minister of Culture, Information and Concord, the Secretary of the Kazakh Security Council, replacing [[Marat Tazhin]], on 4 May 2001. Tazhin became the Chairman of the [[National Security Council (Kazakhstan)|National Security Council]], replacing [[Alnur Musayev]]. Musayev became the head of the [[Guards' Service of the President]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Robert D'A. Henderson|title=Brassey's International Intelligence Yearbook: 2003 Edition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NEp9FjHckLYC&pg=PA272|accessdate=3 February 2011|date=21 July 2003|publisher=Brassey's|isbn=978-1-57488-550-7|page=272}}</ref>

Notwithstanding Kazakhstan's membership in the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (now the [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]]), under Nazarbayev the country has had good relations with [[Israel]]. Diplomatic relations were established in 1992 and President Nazarbayev paid official visits to Israel in 1995 and 2000.<ref>{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061006230723/http://www.kazakhemb.org.il/Kazakhstan-Israel-eng.html |date=6 October 2006 |title=Content }}. Retrieved on 3 February 2011.</ref> Bilateral trade between the two countries amounted to $724&nbsp;million in 2005.

In 1994, Nazarbayev suggested the move of the capital from [[Almaty]] to [[Astana]], and the official shift of the capital happened on 10 December 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.akorda.kz/en/category/astana |title=Official site of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Astana |publisher=Akorda.kz |date= |accessdate=21 August 2014}}</ref>

On 4 December 2005, new [[Elections in Kazakhstan|Presidential elections]] were held and President Nazarbayev won by an overwhelming majority of 91.15% (from a total of 6,871,571 eligible participating voters). Nazarbayev was sworn in for another seven-year term on 11 January 2006.
[[File:Lula-Nazarbayev (2009).jpg|thumb|Nazarbayev with [[President of Brazil]] [[Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva]] in 2009]]
In 2009, former UK cabinet minister [[Jonathan Aitken]] released a biography of the Kazakhstani leader entitled ''Nazarbayev and the Making of Kazakhstan''. The book takes a generally pro-Nazarbayev stance, asserting in the introduction that he is mostly responsible for the success of modern Kazakhstan.<ref>{{cite book|title=Nazarbayev and the Making of Kazakhstan|last=Aitken|first=Jonathan|year=2009|publisher=Continuum|location=London|isbn=978-1-4411-5381-4|pages=1–4}}</ref>

December 2011 saw the [[2011 Mangystau riots]], described by the [[BBC]] as the biggest opposition movement of his time in power.<ref name="Abuse">{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18055249|title=Abuse claims swamp Kazakh oil riot trial|publisher=BBC|accessdate=16 May 2012|date=15 May 2012}}</ref> On 16 December 2011, demonstrations in the oil town of [[Zhanaozen]] clashed with police on the country's Independence Day. Fifteen people were shot dead by security forces and almost 100 were injured. Protests quickly spread to other cities but then died away. The subsequent trial of demonstrators uncovered mass abuse and [[torture]] of detainees.<ref name="Abuse"/>

Nazarbayev suggested in 2014 that Kazakhstan should change its name to "Kazakh Yeli" ("Country of the Kazakhs"), for the country to attract better and more foreign investment, since "Kazakhstan" by its name is associated with other "-stan" countries. Nazarbayev noted Mongolia receives more investment than Kazakhstan because it is not a "-stan" country, even though it is in the same neighborhood, and not as stable as Kazakhstan. However, he is letting the people decide on whether the country should change its name.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/02/07/yes-kazakhstan-should-change-its-name-this-map-shows-why/ | work=The Washington Post | title=WorldViews}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-26082740 |title=BBC News – Kazakhstan: President suggests renaming the country |publisher=British Broadcasting Corporation|date=7 February 2014 |accessdate=21 August 2014}}</ref>

The role of Nazarbayev and his political reforms was acknowledged by Daniel Witt, Vice Chairman of the [[Eurasia Foundation]]. He noted: "[President] Nazarbayev has led Kazakhstan through difficult times and into an era of prosperity and growth. He has demonstrated that he values his U.S. and Western alliances and is committed to achieving democratic governance."<ref name=HP1>{{cite web|title=Kazakhstan's Presidential Election Shows Progress|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-witt/kazakhstans-presidential-_b_847612.html|website=Huffington Post}}</ref>

In December 2012, Nazarbayev outlined a forward-looking national strategy called the [[Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy]].{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}

Nazarbayev always emphasized the role of education in the nation's social development. In order to make education affordable, he introduced educational grant "Orken" for the talented youth of Kazakhstan.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kazakh President amends decree on educational grant for talented youngsters|url=http://www.inform.kz/en/kazakh-president-amends-decree-on-educational-grant-for-talented-youngsters_a2951981|website=Kazinform}}</ref>

===Allegations of corruption===
[[File:KOCIS Year of Kazakhstan in Kazakhstan (4553901378).jpg|thumb|Nazarbayev with [[Lee Myung-bak]] in Seoul, 2010.]]

Over the course of Nazarbayev's presidency, there have been an increasing number of accusations of corruption and favoritism directed against Nazarbayev and his circle. Critics say that the country's government has come to resemble a clan system.<ref name="Olcott2010">{{cite book|author=Martha Brill Olcott|title=Kazakhstan: Unfulfilled Promise|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Tom2gU6rzIC&pg=PA27|date=1 September 2010|publisher=Carnegie Endowment|isbn=978-0-87003-299-8|pages=27–28}}</ref>

According to ''[[The New Yorker]]'', in 1999 Swiss banking officials discovered $85 million in an account apparently belonging to Nazarbayev; the money, intended for the Kazakh treasury, had in part been transferred through accounts linked to [[James Giffen]].<ref name=newyorkerpriceofoil>{{cite news|url=http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/07/09/the-price-of-oil|title=The Price of oil|author=Seymour M. Hersh|work=The New Yorker|date=9 July 2001}}</ref> Subsequently, Nazarbayev successfully pushed for a parliamentary bill granting him legal immunity, as well as another designed to legalize money laundering, angering critics further.<ref name=newyorkerpriceofoil/> When Kazakh opposition newspaper ''[[Respublika (Kazakh newspaper)|Respublika]]'' reported in 2002 that Nazarbayev had in the mid-1990s secretly stashed away $1 billion of state oil revenue in Swiss bank accounts, the decapitated carcass of a dog was left outside the newspaper's offices, with a warning reading "There won't be a next time"; the dog's head later turned up outside editor [[Irina Petrushova]]'s apartment, with a warning reading "There will be no last time."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-06-11/news/0206110214_1_nursultan-nazarbayev-oil-rich-former-soviet-republic-soviet-union|title=As Kazakh scandal unfolds, Soviet-style reprisals begin|work=Chicago Tribune|author=Peter Baker|date=11 June 2002}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://thediplomat.com/2015/08/kazakhstan-goes-after-opposition-media-in-new-york-federal-court/|title=Kazakhstan Goes After Opposition Media in New York Federal Court|work=The Diplomat|author=Casey Michel|date=7 August 2015}}</ref><ref name=effhow>{{cite news|url=https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/08/how-kazakhstan-trying-use-us-courts-censor-net|title=How Kazakhstan is Trying to Use the US Courts to Censor the Net|author=Danny O'Brien|date=4 August 2015|publisher=Electronic Frontier Foundation}}</ref> The newspaper was firebombed as well.<ref name=effhow/>

[[File:Dmitry Medvedev in Saint Petersburg, June 2011-41.jpeg|thumb|Nazarbayev with [[President of Russia]] [[Dmitry Medvedev]], [[President of Finland]] [[Tarja Halonen]] and [[Prime Minister of Spain]] [[José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero]] in 2011]]
In May 2007, the Parliament of Kazakhstan approved a constitutional amendment which would allow Nazarbayev to seek re-election as many times as he wishes. This amendment applies specifically and only to Nazarbayev, since it states that the first president will have no limits on how many times he can run for office, but subsequent presidents will be held to a five-year term.<ref>{{cite news|last=Holley|first=David|title=Kazakhstan lifts term limits on long-ruling leader|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2007/may/19/world/fg-kazakh19|accessdate=2 April 2014|newspaper=LA Times|date=19 May 2007}}</ref>

{{As of|2015}}, Kazakhstan has never held an election meeting international standards.<ref name="dissent"/><ref name="Chivers"/>

===Eurasian Economic Union===
In 1994, Nazarbayev suggested the idea of creating a "Eurasian Union" during a speech at [[Moscow State University]].<ref>[http://www.palgrave.com/products/title.aspx?pid=514131 Holding-Together Regionalism: Twenty Years of Post-Soviet Integration]. Libman A. and Vinokurov E. (Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2012, p. 220.)</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.eaeunion.org/upload/iblock/006/1994_1_1.jpg|title = Президент Республики Казахстан Н. А. Назарбаев о евразийской интеграции. Из выступления в Московском государственном университете им. М. В. Ломоносова 29 марта 1994 г.|author = |work = |date = |publisher = }}</ref><ref>Alexandrov, Mikhail. ''Uneasy Alliance: Relations Between Russia and Kazakhstan in the Post-Soviet Era, 1992-1997.'' Greenwood Press, 1999, p. 229. ISBN 978-0-313-30965-6</ref> On 29 May 2014, Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan signed a treaty to create a [[Eurasian Economic Union]] which created a single economic space of 170 million people and came into effect in January 2015.<ref name=EEURT />
Nazarbayev said shortly after the treaty was signed, "We see this as an open space and a new bridge between the growing economies of Europe and Asia."<ref name=EEURT>{{cite news|title=Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan sign 'epoch' Eurasian Economic Union|url=http://rt.com/business/162200-russia-bealrus-kazakhstan-union/|publisher=RT}}</ref>

===Environmental issues===
In his 1998 autobiography, Nazarbayev wrote that "The shrinking of the [[Aral Sea]], because of its scope, is one of the most serious ecological disasters being faced by our planet today. It is not an exaggeration to put it on the same level as the destruction of the [[Amazon rainforest]]."<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=42}}</ref> He called on [[Uzbekistan]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], and the wider world to do more to reverse the environmental damage done during the Soviet era.<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=41}}</ref>

===Nuclear issues===
Kazakhstan inherited from the Soviet Union the world's fourth largest stockpile of nuclear weapons. Within four years of independence, Kazakhstan possessed zero nuclear weapons.<ref name=NTI1>{{cite web|title=NTI Kazakhstan Profile|url=http://www.nti.org/country-profiles/kazakhstan/|publisher=Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI)}}</ref> In one of the new government’s first major decisions, Nazarbayev closed the Soviet nuclear test site at Semipalatinsk (Semei), where 456 nuclear tests had been conducted by the Soviet military.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kazakhstan and US Renew Nonproliferation Partnership|url=http://thediplomat.com/2016/04/kazakhstan-and-us-renew-nonproliferation-partnership/|website=thediplomat.com}}</ref>

[[File:Nazarbayev & Obama NSS2014.jpg|thumb|Presidents Nazarbayev & Obama held a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 2014 Nuclear Security Summit in The Hague.]]

During the Soviet era, over 500 military experiments with nuclear weapons were conducted by scientists in the Kazakhstan region, mostly at the [[Semipalatinsk Test Site]], causing radiation sickness and birth defects.<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=141}}</ref> As the influence of the Soviet Union waned, Nazarbayev closed the site.<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=143}}</ref> He later claimed that he had encouraged [[Olzhas Suleimenov]]'s [[anti-nuclear movement in Kazakhstan]], and was always fully committed to the group's goals.<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=142}}</ref> In what was dubbed '[[Project Sapphire]]', the Kazakhstan and United States government worked closely to dismantle former Soviet weapons stored in the country, with the Americans agreeing to [[Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction|fund over $800&nbsp;million]] in transportation and 'compensation' costs.<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=150}}</ref>

Nazarbayev encouraged the [[United Nations General Assembly]] to establish 29 August as the International Day Against Nuclear Tests. In his article he has proposed a new [[Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty|Non-Proliferation Treaty]] "that would guarantee clear obligations on the part of signatory governments and define real sanctions for those who fail to observe the terms of the agreement."<ref>[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-oped-0411-nuclear-20100411,0,4341414.story Right time for building global nuclear security]. ''Chicago Tribune'' (11 April 2010). Retrieved 3 February 2011. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150710152841/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/ct-oped-0411-nuclear-20100411,0,4341414.story |date=10 July 2015 }}</ref> He signed a treaty authorizing the [[Central Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone]] on 8 September 2006.{{Citation needed|date=December 2012}}

In an oped in ''[[The Washington Times]]'', Nazarbayev called for the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty to be modernized and better balanced.<ref>[http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/24/nazarbayev-toward-a-safer-nuclear-community/ oped], ''[[The Washington Times]]''</ref>

In March 2016, Nazarbayev released his "Manifesto: The World. The 21st century."<ref>{{cite web|title=Manifesto: The World. The 21st century|url=http://www.akorda.kz/en/speeches/external_political_affairs/ext_other_events/manifesto-the-world-the-21st-century|website=www.akorda.kz}}</ref> In this manifest the Kazakhstan President called for expanding and replicating existing nuclear-weapon-free zones and stressed the need to modernise existing international disarmament treaties.<ref>{{cite web|title=Manifest by Kazakh President Calls for Global Nuclear Disarmament, Steps to End Global Conflicts|url=http://astanatimes.com/2016/04/manifest-by-kazakh-president-calls-for-global-nuclear-disarmament-steps-to-end-global-conflicts/|website=astanatimes.com}}</ref>

===Iran===
In a speech given on 15 December 2006 marking the 15th anniversary of Kazakhstan's independence, Nazarbayev stated he wished to join with Iran in support of a single currency for all Central Asian states and intended to push the idea forward with Iran's then President [[Ahmadinejad]] on an upcoming visit. The Kazakh president also reportedly criticized Iran as a terrorism-supporting state. The Kazakh Foreign Ministry released a statement on 19 December, saying the reports were mistaken and contradictory to what the president actually meant.<ref name=IRAN>{{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308054557/http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-20/0612194917171736.htm |date=8 March 2008 |title=Kazakhstan dismisses alleged anti-Iran comments from president }}. Retrieved on 3 February 2011.</ref>

===Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy===
[[File:Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy Logo.jpg|thumb|[[Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy]] logo]] 
Nazarbayev unveiled in his 2012 State of the Nation the [[Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy]], a long-term strategy to ensure future growth prospects of Kazakhstan, and position Kazakhstan as one of the 30 most developed nations in the world.<ref name=kz2050>{{cite web|title=Strategy 2050: Kazakhstan's Road Map to Global Success|url=http://www.edgekz.com/by-martin-sieff-2.html|publisher=EdgeKZ}}</ref>

===Religion===
Nazarbayev has put forward the initiative of holding a forum of world and traditional religions in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana. Earlier the organizers of similar events were only representatives of leading religions and denominations. Among other similar events aimed at establishing interdenominational dialogue were the meetings of representatives of world religions and denominations held in [[Assisi]], Italy in October 1986 and January 2002.<ref>[http://www.religions-congress.org/content/view/15/34/lang,english/ Congress of World Religions – About Congress of leaders of world and traditional religions]. Religions-congress.org (15 October 2007). Retrieved on 3 February 2011.</ref> The first Congress of World and Traditional Religions which gathered in 2003 allowed the leaders of all major religions to develop prospects for mutual cooperation.{{Citation needed|date=December 2012}}

Nazarbayev espoused [[anti-religious]] views during the Soviet era;<ref name="autogenerated1">Ideology and National Identity in Post-Communist Foreign Policies By Rick Fawn, p. 147</ref> he has now made an effort to highlight his [[Muslim]] heritage by performing the [[Hajj]] pilgrimage,<ref name="autogenerated1" /> and supporting mosque renovations.<ref>[http://mnweekly.ru/local/20070614/55257858.html Moscow's Largest Mosque to Undergo Extension] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204171503/http://mnweekly.ru/local/20070614/55257858.html |date=4 February 2009 }}</ref>

Under the leadership of Nazarbayev, the Republic of Kazakhstan has enacted some degrees of multiculturalism in order to retain and attract talents from diverse ethnic groups among its citizenry, and even from nations that are developing ties of cooperation with the country, in order to coordinate human resources onto the state-guided path of global market economic participation. This principle of the Kazakh leadership has earned it the name "Singapore of the Steppes".<ref>{{cite news|last=Preston|first=Peter|title=How Nursultan became the most loved man on Earth|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/jul/19/nazarbayev-kazakhstan-jonathen-aitken|newspaper=The Guardian|date=19 July 2009}}</ref>

However, in 2012 Nazarbayev proposed reforms, which were later enacted by the parliament, imposing stringent restrictions on religious practices.<ref name="leonard">{{cite news|last=Leonard|first=Peter|title=Kazakhstan: Restrictive Religion Law Blow To Minority Groups|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/29/kazakhstan-restrictive-religion-law_n_986763.html|publisher=Huffington Post|date=29 September 2011}}</ref> Religious groups were required to re-register, or face closure.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/66167 |title=Kazakhstan: Religion Law Restricting Faith in the Name of Tackling Extremism? |publisher=EurasiaNet.org |date=12 November 2012 |accessdate=21 August 2014}}</ref> The initiative was explained as an attempt to combat extremism. However, under the new law many minority religious groups are deemed illegal. In order to exist on a local level, a group must have more than 50 members; on a regional level – more than 500; on the national level – more than 5000.<ref name="leonard" />

Nazarbayev made remarks on the veil, highlighting the country's culture with words "We are Turks, not Arabs" in an open reference to the [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] heritage.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=9ed_1422743614|title=LiveLeak.com - We Are Turks, Not Arabs|publisher=}}</ref>

===Nationalism===
Putin's remarks on the historicity of Kazakhstan<ref>{{cite web|url=http://thediplomat.com/2014/09/putins-chilling-kazakhstan-comments/|title=Putin’s Chilling Kazakhstan Comments|first=Casey Michel, The|last=Diplomat|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/01/kazakhstan-russian-neighbour-putin-chilly-nationalist-rhetoric|title=Kazakhstan is latest Russian neighbour to feel Putin's chilly nationalist rhetoric|first=Ian|last=Traynor|date=1 September 2014|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.themoscowtimes.com/art_n_ideas/article/kazakhs-worried-after-putin-questions-history-of-countrys-independence/506178.html|title=Kazakhs Worried After Putin Questions History of Country's Independence|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/vladimir-putin-continues-soviet-rhetoric-by-questioning-kazakhstans-created-independence-1463460|title=Vladimir Putin Continues Soviet Rhetoric by Questioning Kazakhstan's 'Created' Independence|date=1 September 2014|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ea8_1409500109|title=LiveLeak.com - Putin: 'Kazakhstan Was Never a State'|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/69771|title=As Kazakhstan’s Leader Asserts Independence, Did Putin Just Say, ‘Not So Fast’?|first=David|last=Trilling|date=30 August 2014|publisher=|via=EurasiaNet}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.moderndiplomacy.eu/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=420:the-crimea-model-will-russia-annex-the-northern-region-of-kazakhstan&Itemid=480|title=The Crimea Model: Will Russia Annex the Northern Region of Kazakhstan?|first=Samantha|last=Brletich|publisher=}}</ref> led to a severe response from Nazarbayev.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cacianalyst.org/publications/field-reports/item/13050-russian-and-kazakh-leaders-exchange-worrying-statements.html|title=Russian and Kazakh Leaders Exchange Worrying Statements|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/politics/view/33131|title=Nazarbayev's Severe Response to Putin|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IfJBep7S0w|title=Nazarbayev vs Putin|first=|last=Homepage TR|date=22 September 2015|publisher=|via=YouTube}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=b1e_1424180290|title=LiveLeak.com - Nazarbayev Gives Putin a History Lesson|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/27/kazakhstan-game-of-thrones-putin-and-borat|title=Kazakhstan creates its own Game of Thrones to defy Putin and Borat|first=Joanna|last=Lillis|date=27 January 2016|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/02/kazakh-tv-series-riposte-putin-borat-160204122804788.html|title=New Kazakh TV series a riposte to Putin and Borat|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eurasianet.org/node/71536|title=Kazakhstan Celebrates Statehood in Riposte to Russia|first=Joanna|last=Lillis|date=6 January 2015|publisher=|via=EurasiaNet}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.tengrinews.kz/politics_sub/Kazakhstan-MP-responds-to-Vladimir-Putins-statement-on-lack-255861/|title=Kazakhstan MP responds to Vladimir Putin's statement on lack of statehood in Kazakhstan - Politics - Tengrinews|publisher=}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rferl.org/content/kazakhstan-putin-history-reaction-nation/26565141.html|title=Putin Downplays Kazakh Independence, Sparks Angry Reaction|first=Farangis|last=Najibullah|date=3 September 2014|publisher=|via=Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://newrepublic.com/article/120778/eurasian-economic-union-putins-geopolitical-project-already-failing|title=Even Vladimir Putin's Authoritarian Allies Are Fed Up With Russia's Crumbling Economy|first=Casey|last=Michel|date=19 January 2015|publisher=}}</ref>

===Human rights record===
{{main article|Human rights in Kazakhstan}}
[[File:Nazarbayev Xi Jinping 2013.jpg |thumb|Nazarbayev with [[Xi Jinping]] in 2013]] 
Kazakhstan's human rights situation under Nazarbayev is uniformly described as poor by independent observers. [[Human Rights Watch]] says that "Kazakhstan heavily restricts freedom of assembly, speech, and religion. In 2014, authorities closed newspapers, jailed or fined dozens of people after peaceful but unsanctioned protests, and fined or detained worshippers for practicing religion outside state controls. Government critics, including opposition leader Vladimir Kozlov, remained in detention after unfair trials. In mid-2014, Kazakhstan adopted new criminal, criminal executive, criminal procedural, and administrative codes, and a new law on trade unions, which contain articles restricting fundamental freedoms and are incompatible with international standards. Torture remains common in places of detention."<ref name="World Report 2015: Kazakhstan">[[Human Rights Watch]], [https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2015/country-chapters/kazakhstan World Report 2015: Kazakhstan], accessed October 2015.</ref>

Kazakhstan is ranked 161 out of 180 countries on the [[World Press Freedom Index]], compiled by [[Reporters Without Borders]].<ref>{{cite web|title=World Press Freedom Index 2014|url=https://rsf.org/en/ranking/2014|website=Reporters Without Borders|accessdate=31 August 2014}}</ref>

===Rule of law===
According to a US government report released in 2014, in Kazakhstan: 
[[File:Medvedev and Nazarbayev.jpg|thumb|Meeting with the Russian president [[Dmitry Medvedev]] in 2008 in [[Astana]]]]

{{quote|The law does not require police to inform detainees that they have the right to an attorney, and police did not do so. Human rights observers alleged that law enforcement officials dissuaded detainees from seeing an attorney, gathered evidence through preliminary questioning before a detainee’s attorney arrived, and in some cases used corrupt defense attorneys to gather evidence. [...]

The law does not adequately provide for an independent judiciary. The executive branch sharply limited judicial independence. Prosecutors enjoyed a quasi-judicial role and had the authority to suspend court decisions. Corruption was evident at every stage of the judicial process.  Although judges were among the most highly paid government employees, lawyers and human rights monitors alleged that judges, prosecutors, and other officials solicited bribes in exchange for favorable rulings in the majority of criminal cases.<ref name=countryreport>[http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/humanrightsreport/index.htm?year=2013&dlid=220395#wrapper "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2013: Kazakhstan"], released by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Retrieved on November 1, 2015</ref>}}

Kazakhstan's global rank in the [[World Justice Project]]'s 2015 Rule of Law Index was 65 out of 102; the country scored well on "Order and Security" (global rank 32/102), and poorly on "Constraints on Government Powers" (global rank 93/102), "Open Government" (85/102) and "Fundamental Rights" (84/102, with a downward trend marking a deterioration in conditions).<ref name=WJP2015>{{cite web|title=Rule of Law Index 2015|url=http://data.worldjusticeproject.org/#groups/KAZ|website=World Justice Project}}</ref>

The National plan "100 concrete steps" introduced by President Nazarbayev included measures to reform the court system of Kazakhstan. The implementation of the national plan resulted in Kazakhstan's transition from a five-tier judicial system to a three-tier one in early 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kazakh President instructs to improve court system|url=http://www.inform.kz/en/kazakh-president-instructs-to-improve-court-system_a2951383|website=kazinform}}</ref>

===Foreign policy===
During Nazarbayev's presidency the main principle of Kazakhstan's international relations was multi-vector foreign policy, which was based on initiatives to establish friendly relations with foreign partners.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nazarbayev's trust-based relations with foreign partners help promote Kazakhstan's interests|url=http://www.inform.kz/eng/article/2921958|website=www.inform.kz}}</ref> 
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump lauded Nazabayev's leadership and called Kazakhstan's achievements under his presidency a "miracle" during their phone call on November 30, 2016.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kazakhstan: Trump talked up leader's ‘miracle’ in call|url=http://thehill.com/policy/defense/308251-trump-praises-kazakhstan-miracle-in-call-with-president|website=thehill.com}}</ref>

Israeli Prime Minister [[Benjamin Netanyahu]] conducted his first ever visit to Kazakhstan in mid-December, 2016, when he met with Nazarbayev. The two countries signed agreements on research and development, aviation, civil service commissions and agricultural cooperation, as well as a declaration on establishing an agricultural consortium.<ref>{{cite web|title=PM Netanyahu meets with Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev|url=http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/PressRoom/2016/Pages/PM-Netanyahu-meets-with-Kazakhstan-President-Nursultan-Nazarbayev-14-December-2016.aspx|website=mfa.gov.il}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Nazarbayev is married to [[Sara Nazarbayeva|Sara Alpysqyzy Nazarbayeva]], and they have three daughters – [[Dariga Nazarbayeva|Dariga]], [[Dinara Nazarbayeva|Dinara]] and [[Aliya Nazarbayeva|Aliya]].

[[Nurali Aliyev]], the grandson of Nazarbayev, was named in the [[Panama Papers]].<ref name="Lavrov Velska 2016">{{cite web | last=Lavrov | first=Vlad | last2=Velska | first2=Irene | title=Kazakhstan: President’s Grandson Hid Assets Offshore - The Panama Papers | website=OCCRP | date=4 April 2016 | url=https://www.occrp.org/en/panamapapers/kazakh-presidents-grandson-offshores/ }}</ref>

==Honours==
[[File:Stamps of Kazakhstan, 2013-46.jpg|thumb|Postage stamp with Nazarbayev]]

===Kazakhstan===
*[[Order of the Golden Eagle]]
*Medal "Astana"
*Medal "10 Years of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan"
*Medal "10th Anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan"
*Medal "10th Anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan"
*Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Railway of Kazakhstan"
*Medal "10 Years of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan"
*Medal "50 Years of the Virgin Lands"
*[[Jubilee Medal "60 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"]]
*Medal "10 Years of the City of Astana"
*Medal "20 Years of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan"

===Soviet Union===
*[[Order of the Red Banner of Labour]]
*[[Order of the Badge of Honour]]
*[[Medal "For the Development of Virgin Lands"]]
*[[Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"]]

[[File:Возложение венка к Могиле Неизвестного Солдата - 11.jpg|thumb|Nazarbayev with leaders of China, Russia and India during the [[2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade|Moscow Victory Day Parade]], 9 May 2015]]

===Russian Federation===
*[[Order of St. Andrew|Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called]]
*[[Medal "In Commemoration of the 1000th Anniversary of Kazan"]]
*[[Medal "In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg"]]
*[[Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow"]]
*The Order of Alexander Nevsky
*The Order of Akhmad Kadyrov (Chechnya)

===Foreign awards===
* Austria: Grand Star of the [[Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria]]
* Belgium: Grand Cordon of the [[Order of Leopold (Belgium)|Order of Leopold]]
* Croatia: [[Grand Order of King Tomislav]]
* Egypt: Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Nile]]
* Estonia: Collar of the [[Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana]]
* Finland: Commander Grand Cross with Collar of the [[Order of the White Rose of Finland]]
* Finland: Commander Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Lion of Finland]]
* France: Grand Croix of the [[Légion d'honneur]]
* Greece: Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Redeemer]]
* Hungary: [[Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary]]
* Italy: Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the [[Order of Merit of the Italian Republic]]
* Japan: [[Order of the Chrysanthemum]]
* Latvia: 1st Class with Chain of the [[Order of the Three Stars]]
* Lithuania: Grand Cross of the [[Order of Vytautas the Great]] (5 May 2000)<ref>[http://www.lrp.lt/lt/prezidento_veikla/apdovanojimai/apdovanojimai_256/p40.html Lithuanian Presidency], Lithuanian Orders searching form</ref>
* Luxembourg: Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Oak Crown]]
* Monaco: Grand Cross of the [[Order of Saint-Charles]] 
* Poland: [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]]
* Qatar: Order of Independence 
* Romania: Sash of the [[Order of the Star of Romania]]
* Serbia: Order of the Republic of Serbia
* Slovakia: Grand Cross (or 1st Class) of the [[Order of the White Double Cross]] (2007)<ref>Slovak republic website, [http://www.slovak-republic.org/symbols/honours/ State honours]: 1st Class in 2007 (click on "Holders of the Order of the 1st Class White Double Cross" to see the holders' table)</ref>
* Tajikistan: [[Order of Ismoili Somoni]]
* Turkey: First Class of the [[Order of the State of Republic of Turkey]] (22 October 2009)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tccb.gov.tr/sayfa/etkinlikler/konuk/fotograf/2009-10-22/K-20091022-kazakistan-20.jpg |title=Presidency of the Republic of Turkey (Photo) |date= |accessdate=21 August 2014}}</ref>
* United Kingdom: Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]]
* Ukraine: [[Order of Liberty (Ukraine)]]
* Ukraine: [[Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise]], 1st Class
* United Arab Emirates: [[Order of Zayed]]

===Other===
* [[Jordan]]: A street in [[Amman]] is named after him.
[[File:Nursultan Nazarbayev Street Amman.jpg|thumb|Nursultan Nazarbayev street, Amman.]]

==See also==
* [[Counter-terrorism in Kazakhstan]]
* [[Government of Kazakhstan]]
* [[List of national leaders]]
* [[Politics of Kazakhstan]]

==References==
;Specific
{{Reflist|30em}}

;General
*{{Citation|last=Nazarbayev|first=Nursultan|title=Nursultan Nazarbayev: My Life, My Times and My Future...|publisher=Pilkington Press|year=1998|isbn=1899044191}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Nursultan Nazarbayev}}
*{{Official website|http://www.akorda.kz/}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Bayken Ashimov]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Prime Minister of Kazakhstan|Prime Minister of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic]]|years=1984–1989}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Uzaqbay Qaramanov]]}}
|-
{{s-bef|before=[[Kilibay Medeubekov]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[List of Chairmen of the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic|Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic]]|years=1990}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Erik Asanbayev]]}}
|-
{{s-new|office}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[President of Kazakhstan]]|years=1991–present}}
{{s-inc}}
|-
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Gennady Kolbin]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=First Secretary of the Central Committee of the [[Communist Party of Kazakhstan|Communist Party of Kazakh SSR]]|years=1989–1991}}
{{s-non|reason=''party dissolved''}}
{{s-end}}

{{Navboxes
|list =
{{Current Kazakh Cabinet}}
{{Heads of state of Kazakhstan}}
{{Prime Ministers of Kazakhstan}}
{{Current ECO Leaders}}
{{Current CIS Leaders}}
}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nazarbayev, Nursultan}}
[[Category:1940 births]]
[[Category:Commanders Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland]]
[[Category:Communist Party of Kazakhstan politicians]]
[[Category:Communist Party of the Soviet Union members]]
[[Category:Communist rulers]]
[[Category:Converts to Islam from atheism or agnosticism]]
[[Category:Grand Cordons of the Order of the Nile]]
[[Category:Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses of the Order of the Oak Crown]]
[[Category:Grand Order of King Tomislav recipients]]
[[Category:Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George]]
[[Category:Kazakhstani Muslims]]
[[Category:Knights Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Nur Otan politicians]]
[[Category:Order of the Oak Crown recipients]]
[[Category:Pan-Turkists]]
[[Category:Party leaders of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:People from Almaty Region]]
[[Category:Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union members]]
[[Category:Presidents of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Liberty (Ukraine)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of St. Andrew]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the White Double Cross]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Vytautas the Great]]

[[Category:Recipients of the Order of the Republic (Serbia)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Order of Ismoili Somoni]]