INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Image copyrightReutersImage caption
Mr Nazarbayev came to power in 1989 as first secretary of the Communist Party of
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the only man to lead the country since it emerged from the collapse
of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, has resigned
In a televised address, he said the decision was "not easy" but he wanted to help "a new generation of leaders".Mr Nazarbayev, 78, has been
largely unchallenged as leader of the oil-rich nation since 1989
He will retain much of his influence as head of the governing party.Mr Nazarbayev will remain at the helm of the influential security
council and will hold the formal title Leader of the Nation."I have decided to give up my powers as president," Mr Nazarbayev said during
his surprise television address on Tuesday.As chairman of the security council, he added, he would retain "major powers to determine the
country's external and domestic policies"."I see my task now in facilitating the rise of a new generation of leaders who will continue the
reforms that are under way in the country."Image:Kassym-Jomart Tokayev: 'I don't think Kazakh president will run again'Mr Nazarbayev said
the speaker of the upper house of parliament, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, would take over as acting president for the remainder of his term which
expires in April 2020.The former steel worker had been widely expected to seek re-election and has never indicated a successor.The
announcement comes just weeks after the leader sacked the country's government, citing failures to improve the economy."In many areas of the
economy, despite the adoption of many laws and government decisions, positive changes have not been achieved," he said in a statement at the
time.Analysis by Abdujalil Abdurasulov, TheIndianSubcontinent NewsIn the past few months and even years, there has been speculation about Mr
Nazarbayev's imminent resignation
These rumours reached a new level recently when he formally requested the Constitutional Court to clarify the process of a presidential
The court confirmed that the president had a right to resign
However, his announcement today still caught many by surprise
Mr Nazarbayev is the only president independent Kazakhstan has known
Many regarded him as a president for life, a common practice for authoritarian states in Central Asia
He enjoyed great popularity, although it was never possible to independently measure it due to the lack of free and fair elections
Yet, because of the economic crisis, he has faced growing discontent from some of the population.Born in 1940, Mr Nazarbayev came to power
as first secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan in 1989 when it was a Soviet republic
After independence, he was re-elected against largely token opponents in 1999, 2005, 2011 and - most recently - in 2015.But the conduct of
every election was criticised by foreign observers.During his long period in office Mr Nazarbayev has focused on economic reform while
resisting moves to democratise the political system.Critics have accused him of corruption and widespread human rights abuses, as well as
fostering a personality cult.His supporters say he preserved inter-ethnic peace and stability during the reform in the 1990s, and credit him
for the country's impressive economic growth in first decade of the new millennium.Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption
Nursultan Nazarbayev (L) had a close working relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin
Kazakhstan is as large as
Western Europe and has vast mineral resources.Since independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, major investment in the
oil sector has brought rapid growth.The country is ethnically diverse
The Kazakhs make up nearly two-thirds of the population, ethnic Russians just under a quarter, and smaller minorities the rest
Its main religion, Islam, is also undergoing a revival.
