President of Kazakhstan

Template:Infobox Political post Template:Politics of Kazakhstan The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Template:Lang-kz, 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.

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.<ref>Kazakhstan President Embassy of Kazakhstan</ref>

None of the Presidential elections held in Kazakhstan have been considered free or fair by western countries or international observers<ref>Kazakhstan's long term president to run in snap election – again, The Guardian, 11 March 2015</ref> 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 postTemplate:Who 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." <ref>Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan Constitutional Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan</ref>

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.<ref>Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan Constitutional Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan</ref> 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.<ref name=prez1>Template:Cite web</ref> The official ceremony of the inauguration took place at the Palace of Independence in Astana on April 29.<ref name=prez1/> 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.<ref name=prez1/>

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.<ref name="reforms">Template:Cite news</ref>

Latest election

Prior to the 2011 election, President Nazarbayev wrote an op-ed for the Washington Post titled "Kazakhstan’s steady progress toward democracy".<ref>Kazakhstan’s steady progress toward democracy Washington Post</ref>

Kazakhstan's 5th presidential election was held on April 26, 2015.<ref name=foxnews1>Template:Cite web</ref> Nursultan Nazarbayev was re-elected with 97.7% of the vote.<ref name=rt1>Template:Cite web</ref> 858 observers from 19 countries were present at the polling stations during the election.<ref name=rt1/>

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.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> 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."<ref>Kazakhstan president Nursultan Nazarbayev wins re-election with 97.7 per cent of vote, ABC Australia, 28 April 2015</ref>

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.

№	Name	Portrait	Elected	Term of office		Political party
style="background:Template:Communist Party/meta/color;" rowspan=2| 1	Nursultan Nazarbayev Нұрсұлтан Назарбаев	150px	style="background:Template:Communist Party/meta/color;"| —	24 April 1990	1 December 1991	Communist Party of Kazakhstan
style="background:Template:Communist Party/meta/color;" rowspan=2| 1 1991			1 December 1991	14 December 1991
(1)			14 December 1991	20 January 1999	Independent
			2 1999	20 January 1999		1 March 1999
(1)				1 March 1999	11 January 2006	Otan
			3 2005	11 January 2006	1 December 2006
(1)				1 December 2006	8 April 2011	Nur Otan
			4 2011	8 April 2011	29 April 2015
			5 2015	29 April 2015	Incumbent

See also

• List of leaders of Kazakhstan

External links

• Official website of Kazakhstan President Nazarbayev
• Kazakhstan President Nazarbayev Biography