View source for Nursultan Nazarbayev

{{Short description|President of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2019}}
{{Redirect|Nazarbayev|other uses of the name|Nazarbayev (surname)}}
{{Family name hatnote|Abishuly|Nazarbayev|lang=Eastern Slavic}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2025}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Nursultan Nazarbayev
| native_name         = {{nobold|Нұрсұлтан Назарбаев}}
| native_name_lang    = kk
| image               = Встреча с Нурсултаном Назарбаевым (2025-05-29) 3 (cropped).jpg
| caption             = Nazarbayev in 2025
| office              = 1st [[President of Kazakhstan]]
| primeminister       = {{List collapsed|title=See list|1={{plain list|
*[[Uzakbay Karamanov]]
*[[Sergey Tereshchenko]]
*[[Akezhan Kazhegeldin]]
*[[Nurlan Balgimbayev]]
*[[Kassym-Jomart Tokayev]]
*[[Imangali Tasmagambetov]]
*[[Daniyal Akhmetov]]
*[[Karim Massimov]]
*[[Serik Akhmetov]]
*[[Karim Massimov]]
*[[Bakhytzhan Sagintayev]]
*[[Asqar Mamin]]
}}}}
| vicepresident       = [[Yerik Asanbayev]] (1991–96)
| term_start          = 16 December 1991
| term_end            = 20 March 2019
| predecessor         = ''Office established''<br/>{{small|(himself as President of the Kazakh SSR)}}
| successor           = [[Kassym-Jomart Tokayev]]
| office1             = Chairman of the [[Security Council of Kazakhstan]]
| term_start1         = 21 August 1991
| term_end1           = 5 January 2022
| predecessor1        = ''Office established''
| successor1          = [[Kassym-Jomart Tokayev]]
| office2             = [[Nur Otan|Chairman of Nur Otan]]
| 1blankname2         = Acting
| 1namedata2          = {{List collapsed|title=See list|1={{plain list|
*[[Sergey Tereshchenko]]
*Amangeldı Ermegiaev
*[[Bakhytzhan Zhumagulov]]
}}}}
| 2blankname2         = Deputy
| 2namedata2          = {{List collapsed|title=See list|1={{plain list|
*[[Zharmakhan Tuyakbay]]
*[[Aleksandr Pavlov (politician)|Aleksandr Pavlov]]
*Amangeldı Ermegiaev
}}}}
| 3blankname2         = First Deputy
| 3namedata2          = {{List collapsed|title=See list|1={{plain list|
*[[Bakhytzhan Zhumagulov]]
*[[Adilbek Zhaksybekov]]
*[[Darhan Kaletaev]]
*[[Nurlan Nigmatulin]]
*[[Bakhytzhan Sagintayev]]
*[[Bauyrjan Baibek]]
*[[Askar Myrzakhmetov]]
*[[Mukhtar Kul-Mukhammed]]
*[[Mäulen Äşimbaev]]
*[[Bauyrjan Baibek]]
}}}}
| term_start2         = 1 March 1999
| term_end2           = 28 January 2022
| predecessor2        = ''Office established''
| successor2          = [[Kassym-Jomart Tokayev]]
| office3             = Chairman of the [[Assembly of People of Kazakhstan|Assembly of People]]
| term_start3         = 1 March 1995
| term_end3           = 28 April 2021
| predecessor3        = ''Office established''
| successor3          = [[Kassym-Jomart Tokayev]]
| office4             = Honorary Chairman of the [[Assembly of People of Kazakhstan|Assembly of People]]
| term_start4         = 28 April 2021
| term_end4           = 5 January 2022
| predecessor4        = ''Office established''
| successor4          = '' Office abolished''
| office5             = Honorary Chairman of the [[Organization of Turkic States]]
| term_end5           = 
| termstart5          = 25 April 2019<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.turkkon.org/en/haberler/statement-on-granting-the-first-president-of-the-republic-of-kazakhstan-elbasy-he-nursultan-nazarbayev-the-status-of-the-life-time-honorary-president-of-the-turkic-council_1830|title=Statement on granting the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan-Elbasy, His Excellency Nursultan Nazarbayev, the status of the life-time Honorary President of the Turkic Council|date=24 May 2019|work=Organization of Turkic States|access-date=8 January 2022}}</ref>
{{Collapsed infobox section begin|[[Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic|Kazakh SSR]] positions}}
| office6             = [[President of Kazakhstan|President]] of the [[Kazakh SSR]]
| vicepresident6      = [[Sergey Tereshchenko]]<br/>(1990–1991)<br/>[[Yerik Asanbayev]]<br/>(1991)
| term_start6         = 24 April 1990
| term_end6           = 16 December 1991
| predecessor6        = ''Office established''
| successor6          = ''Office abolished''<br/>{{small|(Himself as President of Kazakhstan)}}
| office7             = [[List of Chairmen of the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic|Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh SSR]]
| premier7            = [[Uzakbay Karamanov]]
| term_start7         = 22 February 1990
| term_end7           = 24 April 1990
| predecessor7        = Kilibay Medeubekov
| successor7          = Erik Asanbayev
| office8             = [[Communist Party of Kazakhstan (Soviet Union)| First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan]]
| term_start8         = 22 June 1989
| term_end8           = 7 September 1991
| predecessor8        = [[Gennady Kolbin]]
| successor8          = Office abolished
| office9             = [[Prime Minister of Kazakhstan|Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR]]
| 1blankname9         = Chairman
| 1namedata9          = [[Bayken Ashimov]]<br/>Salamay Mukashev<br/>Zakash Kamaledinov<br/>Vera Sidorova<br/>Makhtay Sagdiyev
| term_start9         = 22 March 1984
| term_end9           = 27 July 1989
| predecessor9        = [[Bayken Ashimov]]
| successor9          = [[Uzakbay Karamanov]]
{{Collapsed infobox section end}}
| birth_name          = Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev
| birth_date          = {{birth date and age|df=y|1940|7|6}}
| birth_place         = [[Chemolgan]], [[Kazakh SSR]], Soviet Union
| death_date          = 
| death_place         = 
| otherparty          = [[Communist Party of Kazakhstan (Soviet Union)|Communist]] (1962–1991)<br/>[[Independent politician|Independent]] (1991–1999)
| party               = [[Amanat (political party)|Amanat]] (since 1999)
| spouse              = {{ubl
  |{{marriage|[[Sara Nazarbayeva|Sara Konakayeva]]|25 August 1962}}
  |Assel Kurmanbayeva
}}
| children            = {{hlist
  |[[Dariga Nazarbayeva|Dariga]]
  |[[Dinara Kulibaeva|Dinara]]
  |[[Aliya Nazarbayeva|Aliya]]
  |Tauman
  |Baiken
}}
| signature           = Signature of Nursultan Nazarbayev.svg
| website             = {{URL|https://nazarbayev.kz/}}
| allegiance          = {{flag|Kazakhstan}}
| branch              = [[Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan]]
| serviceyears        = 1991–2019
| rank                = [[File:Kazakhstan-Army-OF-10-01 (horizantal).svg|70px]]<br/>Supreme Commander
| footnotes           = {{Collapsible list 
| title = Central institution membership
| bullets = on
| 2019–present: Honorary Chairman, [[Organization of Turkic States]]
| 2021–2022: Honorary Chairman, [[Assembly of People of Kazakhstan]]
| 2019–2023: Honorary Member, [[Senate of Kazakhstan]]
| 2019–2023: Member, [[Constitutional Council (Kazakhstan)|Constitutional Council of Kazakhstan]]
| 1999–2022: Chairman, [[Nur Otan]]
| 1995–2021: Chairman, [[Assembly of People of Kazakhstan]]
| 1991–2022: Chairman, [[Security Council of Kazakhstan]]
| 1989–1991: Member, 17th Secretariat of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan
| 1986–1990: Full member, [[27th Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|27th]] & [[28th Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union|28th]] Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
| 1979–1984: Member, 14th & 15th Secretariat of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan
}}
}}
{{Nazarbayev sidebar}}
'''Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev'''<ref>{{cite book |last=Mesquita |first=Bruce Bueno de |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S7VG1yZP52gC&pg=PT57 |title=Principles of International Politics – Bruce Bueno de Mesquita |date=2013 |isbn=9781483304663 |page=57 |access-date=21 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603112653/https://books.google.com/books?id=S7VG1yZP52gC&pg=PT57 |archive-date=3 June 2016 |url-status=live |via=Google Books}}</ref>{{Efn|{{IPAc-en|ˌ|n|ʊə|s|ə|l|ˈ|t|ɑː|n|_|ə|ˈ|b|ɪ|ʃ|ʊ|l|i|_|ˌ|n|æ|z|ər|ˈ|b|aɪ|ɛ|f}}; {{langx|kk|Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев}}, {{lang|kk-Latn|Nūrsūltan Äbışūly Nazarbaev}}, {{IPA|kk|nʊrsʊɫˈtʰɑn æˌbɘʃʊˈɫə nɑˌzɑrˈbaɪf|lang|IPA Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev.ogg}}; {{langx|ru|Нурсултан Абишевич Назарбаев|Nursultan Abishevich Nazarbayev}}}} (born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician who served as the first [[president of Kazakhstan]] from 1991 to 2019. He also held the special title of '''Elbasy'''{{Efn|{{IPAc-en|ˈ|ɛ|l|b|ə|s|i}} {{respell|EL|bə|see}}; {{IPA|kk|ˌjelʲbɑˈsə}}; {{lit|Leader of the Nation}}}} from 2010 to 2022 and chairman of the [[Security Council of Kazakhstan|Security Council]] from 1991 to 2022.<ref>{{Cite news |date=15 June 2010 |title=Kazakh president declared Leader of the Nation |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kazakhstan-president-idUSTRE65E0WP20100615 |access-date=1 January 2022 |work=Reuters |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=7 June 2022 |title=Kazakhs vote to confirm removal of Nazarbayev's grip on power |url=https://www.intellinews.com/kazakhs-vote-to-confirm-removal-of-nazarbayev-s-grip-on-power-246699/ |access-date=24 June 2022 |website=intellinews.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=5 January 2022 |title=Токаев объявил о смещении с поста Нурсултана Назарбаева |url=https://www.rbc.ru/politics/05/01/2022/61d596709a7947392ca4369e |access-date=5 January 2022 |website=РБК |language=ru}}</ref>

Nazarbayev's political career began in the [[Soviet era]], where he joined the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] in 1962 while working as a steel factory worker. Rising through the party ranks, he became [[Prime Minister of Kazakhstan|Prime Minister of the Kazakh SSR]] in 1984 and First Secretary of the [[Communist Party of Kazakhstan (Soviet Union)|Communist Party of Kazakhstan]] in 1989. In [[1990 Kazakh presidential election|1990]], the [[Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic|Supreme Soviet]] elected him as the president of Kazakhstan. Nazarbayev played a key role in navigating Kazakhstan through the [[dissolution of the Soviet Union]], leading to the [[On the State Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan|country's independence]] in 1991. In the country’s first direct [[1991 Kazakh presidential election|1991 presidential election]], Nazarbayev appeared on the ballot without opposition and secured an overwhelming victory. In 1995, [[Rule by decree|ruling by decree]], Nazarbayev extended his presidency through a [[1995 Kazakh presidential term referendum|referendum]] and adopted a new [[Constitution of Kazakhstan|constitution]] that expanded his powers. He was re-elected in [[1999 Kazakh presidential election|1999]], deemed eligible to run again in [[2005 Kazakh presidential election|2005]] by a [[Supreme Court of Kazakhstan|Supreme Court]] ruling, and benefited from a [[2007 amendments to the Constitution of Kazakhstan|2007 constitutional amendment]] solely exempting [[term limit]]s for him, allowing re-elections in [[2011 Kazakh presidential election|2011]] and [[2015 Kazakh presidential election|2015]].

Under Nazarbayev's rule, Kazakhstan experienced substantial economic growth, driven by high oil prices and market-oriented reforms. His policies focused on modernizing infrastructure, attracting foreign investment, and positioning Kazakhstan as an economic hub in [[Central Asia]]. On the international stage, he prioritized strong ties with global powers and Kazakhstan's integration into regional and global organizations, including the [[Eurasian Economic Union]] and the [[World Trade Organization]]. Nazarbayev also gained recognition for his efforts in [[nuclear disarmament]], renouncing Kazakhstan’s inherited nuclear arsenal, and closing the [[Semipalatinsk Test Site]]. However, his presidency was also marked by widespread [[corruption]], [[nepotism]], [[kleptocracy]], and economic challenges, such as the [[Great Recession]], the [[2010s oil glut]], and economic repercussions from the [[Russo-Ukrainian War]]. These issues contributed to inflation and the devaluation of the national currency, the [[Kazakhstani tenge|tenge]], while undermining transparency and governance.

In March 2019, following a [[2018–2020 Kazakh protests|wave of protests]] and increasing discontent, Nazarbayev announced his [[Resignation of Nursultan Nazarbayev|resignation]], handing over power to [[Kassym-Jomart Tokayev]]. Tokayev was elected president in a [[2019 Kazakh presidential election|snap election]] in June 2019. While Nazarbayev stepped down from the presidency, he remained a powerful figure in Kazakh politics, retaining influence through his leadership of the [[Assembly of People of Kazakhstan]] and the [[Nur Otan]] party. He also chaired the Security Council until his dismissal in 2022.<ref>{{cite web |last=Auyezov |first=Olzhas |date=5 January 2022 |title=Kazakh president fails to quell protests, 8 deaths reported |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/kazakhstan-government-resigns-after-violent-protests-over-fuel-price-2022-01-05/ |access-date=5 January 2022 |work=Reuters}}</ref> Nazarbayev's power was diminished following the [[2022 Kazakh unrest|2022 unrest]], which led to a [[2022 Kazakh constitutional referendum|constitutional referendum]] that stripped him of many privileges and titles, including his membership in the [[Senate of Kazakhstan|Senate]] and the [[Constitutional Council (Kazakhstan)|Constitutional Council]]. By 2023, he had lost most of his official titles, signaling the end of his political dominance.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev stripped of 'honorary senator' title |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/former-kazakh-president-nursultan-nazarbayev-stripped-of-honorary-senator-title/2786086 |access-date=13 January 2023 |website=aa.com.tr}}</ref>

Nazarbayev was one of the longest-ruling non-royal leaders in the world, having led Kazakhstan for nearly three decades, excluding chairmanship in the Security Council after the end of his presidency. He has often been referred to as a [[dictator]] due to his consolidation of power and [[autocratic]] rule. While he is credited with fostering economic growth and political stability in Kazakhstan, his tenure was marred by widespread [[authoritarianism]], significant [[Human rights|human rights abuses]], and systemic corruption.<ref name="dissent2">{{cite news |last=Pannier |first=Bruce |date=11 March 2015 |title=Kazakhstan's long term president to run in show election – again |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/11/kazakhstan-president-early-election-nursultan-nazarbayev |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190911021253/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/11/kazakhstan-president-early-election-nursultan-nazarbayev |archive-date=11 September 2019 |access-date=13 March 2015 |work=The Guardian |quote=Nazarbayev 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><ref name="Chivers2">{{cite news |last=Chivers |first=C.J. |date=6 December 2005 |title=Kazakh President Re-elected; voting Flawed, Observers Say |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/06/international/asia/06kazakhstan.html |access-date=2 April 2014 |work=The New York Times |quote=Kazakhstan has never held an election that was not rigged.}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Background on Nursultan Nazarbayev |url=https://carnegieendowment.org/2012/03/26/background-on-nursultan-nazarbayev-pub-47648 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327163840/https://carnegieendowment.org/2012/03/26/background-on-nursultan-nazarbayev-pub-47648 |archive-date=27 March 2019 |access-date=27 March 2019 |work=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace |publisher=[[Carnegie Endowment for International Peace]] |quote=The republic's Supreme Soviet elected Nazarbayev president of the Kazakh SSR on April 24, 1990.}}</ref><ref name="reuters2">{{cite news |date=19 March 2019 |title=Veteran Kazakh leader Nazarbayev resigns after three decades in power |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kazakhstan-president/president-of-kazakhstan-nursultan-nazarbayev-resigns-idUSKCN1R01N1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320043009/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kazakhstan-president/president-of-kazakhstan-nursultan-nazarbayev-resigns-idUSKCN1R01N1 |archive-date=20 March 2019 |access-date=19 March 2019 |work=Reuters}}</ref> His leadership was further characterized by a pervasive [[cult of personality]], with his image and influence deeply entrenched in the nation’s political and social landscape.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Matthews |first=Austi S. |date=25 April 2019 |title=What happens to Kazakhstan's dictatorship now that its dictator has quit? |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/04/25/kazakhstans-year-leader-resigned-heres-how-transition-is-playing-out/ |newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Oropeza |first=Miguel |date=19 March 2015 |title=Is Kazakhstan's Nazarbayev the Lee Kwan Yew of Central Asia? |url=https://www.openasia.asia/nazarbayev-lee-kwan-yew/ |access-date=1 May 2021 |work=OpenAsia |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bisenov |first=Naubet |date=20 March 2019 |title=Kazakhstan's President Nazarbayev resigns but retains key posts |url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Kazakhstan-s-President-Nazarbayev-resigns-but-retains-key-posts |access-date=1 May 2021 |website=Nikkei Asia |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Early life and career==
{{Primary sources section|date=March 2019}}
Nursultan Nazarbayev ({{Audio|IPA Nursultan Nazarbayev.ogg|Kazakh pronunciation}}) was born in [[Chemolgan]], a village near [[Almaty]], when Kazakhstan [[Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic|was one of the republics]] of the [[Soviet Union]], to parents Äbiş Nazarbayev (1903–1970) and Äljan Nazarbayeva (1910–1978).<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=11}}</ref> His father Äbish 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 family's religious tradition was [[Sunni Islam]].{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}

Äbiş avoided compulsory military service due to a withered arm he had 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 where in 1948, Nazarbayev began attending school and being taught the [[Russian language]]; while living with his paternal uncle, as his parents had not owned dwelling in the place for a brief period. Nazarbayev later himself chose to settle in the upper part of Chemolgan where mainly ethnic Russians lived, in order to master Russian while communicating with them.<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=22}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{cite book |url=https://elbasy.kz/sites/default/files/2020-12/Nursultan%20Nazarbayev.%20Biography.pdf |title=Нурсултан НАЗАРБАЕВ. Биография. |publisher=Деловой Мир Астана |year=2012 |isbn=978-601-7259-37-2 |location=Astana |pages=14–21 |language=ru |access-date=22 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402135618/https://elbasy.kz/sites/default/files/2020-12/Nursultan%20Nazarbayev.%20Biography.pdf |archive-date=2 April 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Despite performing well at school, by the time Nazarbayev was in 10th grade, all the classes in the same grade were called off due to a student shortage and as a result in 1957, he was sent to a boarding school named after [[Abai Qunanbaiuly]] in [[Kaskelen]].<ref name=":9"/><ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=23}}</ref> During that time, Nazarbayev's father, Äbiş, wished to create favourable conditions towards his son for studying and living as well as to potentially avoid bad influence from peers by renting himself an apartment for Nazarbayev in the village.<ref name=":9"/>

After leaving school, Nazarbayev 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 the age of 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> From there, Nazarbayev married [[Sara Nazarbayeva]] on 25 August 1962, who was a dispatcher at the same steel mill that he worked in.<ref name=":11">{{Cite book |url=https://elbasy.kz/sites/default/files/2020-12/Nursultan%20Nazarbayev.%20Biography.pdf |title=Нурсултан НАЗАРБАЕВ. Биография. |publisher=Деловой Мир Астана |year=2012 |isbn=978-601-7259-37-2 |location=Astana |pages=54 |language=ru |access-date=22 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402135618/https://elbasy.kz/sites/default/files/2020-12/Nursultan%20Nazarbayev.%20Biography.pdf |archive-date=2 April 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Together, both parties would eventually have three daughters: [[Dariga Nazarbayeva|Dariga]], [[Dinara Kulibaeva|Dinara]] and [[Aliya Nazarbayeva|Aliya]], born in 1963, 1968 and 1980, respectively.<ref name=":11"/>

On 15 November 1962, Nazarbayev joined the [[Communist Party of the Soviet Union|Communist Party]], becoming a prominent member of the Young Communist League ([[Komsomol]])<ref name="=page 26"/><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://elbasy.kz/sites/default/files/2020-12/Nursultan%20Nazarbayev.%20Biography.pdf |title=Нурсултан НАЗАРБАЕВ. Биография. |publisher=Деловой Мир Астана |year=2012 |isbn=978-601-7259-37-2 |location=Astana |pages=55 |language=ru |access-date=22 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402135618/https://elbasy.kz/sites/default/files/2020-12/Nursultan%20Nazarbayev.%20Biography.pdf |archive-date=2 April 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref> and full-time worker for the party, while attending 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 demoralised 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===
{{see also|Jeltoqsan|Dissolution of the Soviet Union|Alma-Ata Protocol}}
[[File:RIAN archive 41059 CIS heads of state.jpg|thumb|Nazarbayev (front row, second from left) at the signing of the [[Alma-Ata Protocol]], 21 December 1991|alt=|left|238x238px]]
In 1984, at the age 43, Nazarbayev became the [[Prime Minister of Kazakhstan]] (Chairman of the Council of Ministers), the youngest-ever officeholder in the Soviet Union to serve the post, under [[Dinmukhamed Kunaev]], the [[General Secretary of the Communist Party|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|year=2002|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-25585-1|pages=59–61|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527180555/http://books.google.com/books?id=TkTJTl_mKmYC&pg=RA1-PA60|archive-date=27 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://elbasy.kz/sites/default/files/2020-12/Nursultan%20Nazarbayev.%20Biography.pdf |title=Нурсултан НАЗАРБАЕВ. Биография. |publisher=Деловой Мир Астана |year=2012 |isbn=978-601-7259-37-2 |location=Astana |pages=84 |language=ru |access-date=22 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402135618/https://elbasy.kz/sites/default/files/2020-12/Nursultan%20Nazarbayev.%20Biography.pdf |archive-date=2 April 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref> During that period, the [[Perestroika]] policies slowly began to take place under [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] while Nazarbayev himself was viewed to be more of experienced policy maker as his views and stances had already been formed during the [[Khrushchev Thaw]] and [[1965 Soviet economic reform]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://elbasy.kz/sites/default/files/2020-12/Nursultan%20Nazarbayev.%20Biography.pdf|title=Нурсултан НАЗАРБАЕВ. Биография.|publisher=Деловой Мир Астана|year=2012|isbn=978-601-7259-37-2|location=Astana|pages=85|language=ru|access-date=22 October 2021|archive-date=2 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402135618/https://elbasy.kz/sites/default/files/2020-12/Nursultan%20Nazarbayev.%20Biography.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Kazakhstan at that time was seen as a backwater republic within the Soviet Union with its industry being heavily reliant upon rich raw materials, specifically in mining sectors and was forced upon to import its consumer goods from other Soviet republics. It faced problems especially in countryside with a need for state farm repairs, as well as housing for farmers, lack of available preschools for rural children which Nazarbayev during his tenure raised issues in regard to these problems that was reportedly met with disagreements amongst the republic's leadership.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://elbasy.kz/sites/default/files/2020-12/Nursultan%20Nazarbayev.%20Biography.pdf |title=Нурсултан НАЗАРБАЕВ. Биография. |publisher=Деловой Мир Астана |year=2012 |isbn=978-601-7259-37-2 |location=Astana |pages=86–88 |language=ru |access-date=22 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402135618/https://elbasy.kz/sites/default/files/2020-12/Nursultan%20Nazarbayev.%20Biography.pdf |archive-date=2 April 2021 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Growing frustrated over the problems within the Kazakh SSR, at the 16th Session of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan held in January 1986, Nazarbayev criticized Askar Kunayev, head of the Academy of Sciences, for not reforming his department. Dinmukhamed, 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.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}

Kunayev was ousted in 1986 and replaced by [[Gennady Kolbin]], an ethnic Russian, who despite his office, had little authority in Kazakhstan. Nazarbayev was named party leader and the top position (First Secretary of the Communist Party) on 22 June 1989,<ref name=ZHELTOQSAN/> only the second Kazakh (after Kunayev) to hold the post. He was the [[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.{{citation needed|date=September 2018}}

On [[1990 Kazakh presidential election|24 April 1990]], Nazarbayev was elected as 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 general secretary [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] for Gorbachev to consider him for the post of [[Vice President of the Soviet Union]]; however, Nazarbayev turned the offer down. However, on 29 July, Gorbachev, Yeltsin, and Nazarbayev discussed and decided that once the [[New Union Treaty]] was signed, Nazarbayev would replace [[Valentin Pavlov]] as [[Prime Minister|Premier of the Soviet Union]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Union of Soviet Socialist Republics – historical state, Eurasia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/614785/Union-of-Soviet-Socialist-Republics|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012094414/https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/614785/Union-of-Soviet-Socialist-Republics|archive-date=12 October 2013|access-date=24 October 2013}}</ref>

The Soviet Union began disintegrating 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 [[1991 Kazakh presidential election|first presidential election]], held on 1 December, he appeared alone on the ballot and won 95% of the vote.<ref>{{cite book|author=James Minahan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RSxt-JB-PDkC&pg=PA136|title=Miniature empires: a historical dictionary of the newly independent states|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|year=1998|isbn=978-0-313-30610-5|page=136|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527222648/http://books.google.com/books?id=RSxt-JB-PDkC&pg=PA136|archive-date=27 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> On 16 December, Nazarbayev signed the [[On the State Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan|Constitutional Law "On the State Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan"]], which had been adopted earlier that day by the Supreme Soviet, formally establishing Kazakhstan as a sovereign state and making it the last Soviet republic to declare independence. Five days later, he joined other leaders in signing the Alma-Ata Protocol on 21 December, bringing Kazakhstan into the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]].<ref>{{harvnb|Nazarbayev|1998|p=82}}</ref>

== Presidency (1990–2019) ==

=== 1991–1999: First term ===
[[File:Henry Kissinger with former USSR leaders - WEF Annual Meeting 1992.jpg|left|thumb|Nazarbayev (three rows from left) at the 1992 World Economic Forum chaired by [[Henry Kissinger]] in [[Davos]]]]
Nazarbayev renamed the former State Defense Committees as the [[Ministry of Defense (Kazakhstan)|Ministry of Defense]] and appointed [[Sagadat Nurmagambetov]] as Defense Minister on 7 May 1992.

The [[Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic|Supreme Soviet]], under the leadership of Chairman [[Serikbolsyn Abdildin|Serikbolsyn Abdilin]], began debating over a draft constitution in June 1992. Opposition political parties [[Azat Civil Movement of Kazakhstan|Azat]], [[Jeltoqsan National Democratic Party|Jeltoqsan]] and the [[Azat Republican Party of Kazakhstan|Republican Party]], held demonstrations in [[Almaty|Alma-Ata]] from 10 to 17 June 1992 calling for the formation of a [[coalition government]], resignation of [[Tereshchenko Cabinet|Sergey Tereshchenko's government]] and the Supreme Soviet which, at that time, was composed of former Communist Party legislators who had yet to stand in an election.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cook|first=Bernard A.|title=Europe Since 1945 An Encyclopedia|publisher=Garland|year=2001|isbn=0-8153-4058-3|volume=2|location=New York City|pages=715}}</ref> The [[1993 Constitution of Kazakhstan|first constitution of Kazakhstan]], adopted on 28 January 1993, 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|year=1994|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-45895-5|pages=317–318|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527175842/http://books.google.com/books?id=8P3pOV4CWJsC&pg=PA317|archive-date=27 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 10 December 1993, the Supreme Soviet voted to dissolve itself and that same day, a presidential decree was signed which set changes in local representative and executive bodies with elections of the [[mäslihat]]s (local legislatures) taking place every five years and [[Akim|äkims]] (local heads) being appointed by the president. In March 1994, Kazakhstan for the first time since independence, held a [[1994 Kazakh legislative election|legislative election]] which was boycotted by the Azat and Jeltoqsan parties. From there, the pro-presidential [[People's Union of Kazakhstan Unity]] party won a majority of 30 seats with [[Independent politician|independent]] candidates who were on presidential-list won 42 seats. The OSCE observers called the elections unfair, reporting an inflated voter turnout.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Kazakhstan|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/kazakhstan/Kaz1099b-02.htm#P114_17208|access-date=29 January 2021|website=hrw.org}}</ref> Nevertheless, the new composition of the Parliament was considered to be "professional" with different various [[political faction]]s that functioned. In May 1994, the [[Supreme Council of Kazakhstan|Supreme Council]] passed a [[Motion of no confidence|vote of no confidence]] against Prime Minister [[Sergey Tereshchenko]] amidst political scandals evolving Tereshchenko and government ministers. Nazarbayev objected to the change, arguing that the Constitution gave the president the right to appoint the PM with already existing parliamentary confirmation regardless of the motion of confidence.<ref name=":10">{{Cite book|last=Buyers|first=Lydia M.|title=Central Asia in Focus Political and Economic Issues|publisher=Nova Science Publishers, Inc|year=2003|isbn=9781590331538|location=New York|pages=81}}</ref> However, he eventually backed down, dismissing [[Tereshchenko Cabinet|Tereshchenko's government]] in October 1994 and appointing ethnic-Kazakh [[Akezhan Kazhegeldin]] as the new PM.<ref name=":10" />
[[File:Kazakhstan stamp N.Nazarbaev 1993 50t.jpg|left|thumb|1993 Kazakh postage stamp of Nazarbayev]]
In 1994, Nazarbayev suggested relocating the capital city from [[Almaty]] to [[Astana]], and the official changeover of the capital happened on 10 December 1997.<ref>{{cite web|title=Official site of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan|url=http://www.akorda.kz/en/category/astana|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317063010/http://akorda.kz/en/category/astana|archive-date=17 March 2015|access-date=21 August 2014|work=Akorda}}</ref>

In March 1995, the Constitutional Court ruled that [[1994 Kazakh legislative election|1994 legislative elections]] were held unconstitutionally and as a result, Nazarbayev dissolved the [[Supreme Council of Kazakhstan|Supreme Council]].<ref>{{Cite journal|date=1 November 2016|title=Sociopolitical associations in independent Kazakhstan: Evolution of the phenomenon|journal=Pacific Science Review B: Humanities and Social Sciences|language=en|volume=2|issue=3|pages=94–99|doi=10.1016/j.psrb.2016.09.018|issn=2405-8831|doi-access=free|last=Sayabayev|first=Daniyar}}</ref> From that period, all bills were adopted on the basis of presidential decrees such as outlawing any civic participation in an unregistered and/or illegal public association who would be punished with 15-day jail sentence or fines from 5 to 10 times the minimum monthly wage in an effort "to fight organized crime."<ref name=":1" /> An [[1995 Kazakh presidential term referendum|April 1995 referendum]] extended Nazarbayev's term, originally set to end in 1996, to until 2000. In [[1995 Kazakh constitutional referendum|August 1995]], a referendum was held which allowed for greater presidential powers and established a bicameral [[Parliament of Kazakhstan|Parliament]] as well. Both the elections for [[Mazhilis]] (lower house) and the [[Senate of Kazakhstan|Senate]] (upper house) were held in December 1995 which convened in January 1996.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mishra |first=Mukesh Kumar |date=2009|title=Democratisation Process in Kazakhstan: Gauging the Indicators|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45072948|journal=India Quarterly|volume=65|issue=3|pages=313–327|doi=10.1177/097492840906500306|jstor=45072948|s2cid=153989157|issn=0974-9284|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Nazarbayev dismissed the accusations from critics of him personally dissolving the legislature by claiming that it was under Constitutional Court's orders, saying "the law is the law, and the President is obliged to abide by the constitution, otherwise, how will we build a rule-of-law state?" and that the cancellation of the 1996 presidential elections was made by the decision of the [[Assembly of People of Kazakhstan]] arguing that "Western schemes do not work in our Eurasian expanses."<ref name=":1" />

In October 1997, Nazarbayev dismissed Prime Minister [[Akezhan Kazhegeldin]] from his post, which according to political experts was seen as a "power grab".<ref>{{Cite news|date=11 October 1997|title=Autocratic Kazak Leader Ousts His Reformist Premier|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/11/world/autocratic-kazak-leader-ousts-his-reformist-premier.html|access-date=8 June 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In his address, he criticized Kazhegeldin over his record reforms and in his place, Nazarbayev appointed [[Nurlan Balgimbayev]], an oil engineer who prior served as an Oil and Gas Minister.<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 October 1997|title=Kazakhstan: Parliament Appoints New Prime Minister|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1086965.html|access-date=8 June 2021|website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty|language=en}}</ref>

=== 1999–2006: Second term ===
[[File:Defense.gov News Photo 971117-D-9880W-112.jpg|left|thumb|[[William Cohen]] and Nazarbayev in November 1997]]
On 7 October 1998, a number of amendments were made to the [[Constitution of Kazakhstan]] in which the term of office of the president was increased from 5 to 7 years as well as term limits. The changes also removed restriction on the maximum required age of a presidential candidate.<ref>{{Cite web |author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |title=Freedom in the World 1998 – Kazakhstan |url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/5278c65c5.html |access-date=15 June 2022 |website=Refworld |language=en}}</ref> The following day on 8 October, Nazarbayev signed decree setting the election date for January 1999. He was [[1999 Kazakh presidential election|reelected]] for second term by winning 81% of the vote in the first round, defeating his main challenger and former [[Supreme Council of Kazakhstan|Supreme Council]] chairman [[Serikbolsyn Abdildin]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 March 2015|title=Kazakh 'Rerun:' A Brief History of Kazakhstan's Presidential Elections|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-brief-history-of-presidential-elections/26890276.html|access-date=28 January 2021|website=RFE/RL}}</ref> Abdildin himself in response refused to acknowledge the official results, insisting that they were falsified.<ref>{{cite news |last=МАМАШУЛЫ |first=Асылхан |date=5 July 2021 |title=Одно событие – два мнения. Что Назарбаев и Абдильдин говорили друг о друге |url=https://rus.azattyq.org/a/kazakhstan-chto-nazarbaev-abdildin-govorili-drug-druge/31341199.html |access-date=23 February 2022 |website=Радио Азаттык |language=ru}}</ref>

In February 1999, several pro-presidential parties formed into one party named [[Otan (party)|Otan]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|date=5 April 2012|title=Background on Nur Otan Party|url=https://carnegieendowment.org/2012/04/05/background-on-nur-otan-party-pub-47756|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170602054215/http://carnegieendowment.org/2012/04/05/background-on-nur-otan-party-pub-47756|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 June 2017|access-date=29 January 2021|website=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|language=en}}</ref> At the [[1st Congress of the Otan|Founding Congress]] of the party which was held on 1 March 1999, Nazarbayev was elected as the chairman. From there, he suggested that former PM [[Sergey Tereshchenko]] should take over the leading role, noting the constitutional limits on president's affiliation with political parties while Nazarbayev himself remained as ''de facto'' party leader.<ref>{{cite book|author=<!--United States. Congress. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe-->|title=Report on Kazakstan's Presidential Election: January 10, 1999|date=20 May 1999|location=Washington D.C.|page=15}}</ref> In July 1999, Nazarbayev signed decree setting the date for the [[1999 Kazakh legislative election|legislative elections]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Указ Президента Республики Казахстан от 7 июля 1999 года № 168 О назначении очередных выборов в Парламент Республики Казахстан.|url=https://online.zakon.kz/Document/?doc_id=1013704|access-date=29 January 2021|website=Информационная система ПАРАГРАФ|language=ru}}</ref> The Otan, for the first time, participated in the elections, winning 23 seats. In the aftermath on 1 October 1999, Nazarbayev appointed [[Kassym-Jomart Tokayev]] as the PM after his predecessor [[Nurlan Balgimbayev]] had faced an increasing unpopularity amidst worsening economy and scandal revolving around an arms deal with [[North Korea]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=1 October 1999|title=Asia Now – New prime minister named for Kazakhstan |url=http://www.cnn.com/ASIANOW/central/9910/01/kazakhstan.02/index.html|access-date=8 June 2021|website=cnn.com}}</ref>

Nazarbayev appointed [[Altynbek Sarsenbayev]], who at the time served as the Minister of Culture, Information and Concord, the Secretary of the [[Security Council of Kazakhstan|Security Council]], replacing [[Marat Tazhin]], on 4 May 2001. Tazhin became the Chairman of the [[National Security Council (Kazakhstan)|National Security Committee]], replacing [[Alnur Mussayev]]. Mussayev became the head of the Presidential Security Service.<ref>{{cite book|author=Robert D'A. Henderson|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NEp9FjHckLYC&pg=PA272|title=Brassey's International Intelligence Yearbook: 2003 Edition|date=2003|publisher=Brassey's|isbn=978-1-57488-550-7|page=272|access-date=3 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527173508/http://books.google.com/books?id=NEp9FjHckLYC&pg=PA272|archive-date=27 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

In January 2002, Prime Minister [[Kassym-Jomart Tokayev]] resigned from his post and was subsequently appointed as the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kazakhstan)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]] and [[State Secretary of Kazakhstan|State Secretary]]. [[Imangali Tasmagambetov]] took over Tokayev's role as the new PM which viewed as a response towards a political crisis which occurred following the formation of the [[Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan]] in November 2001 by several prominent Kazakh officials who called for political and democratic reforms.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Blua|first=Antoine|date=28 January 2002|title=Kazakhstan: Tasmagambetov Appointed New Prime Minister After Tokaev Resigns|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1098610.html|access-date=8 June 2021|website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty|language=en}}</ref> [[Tasmagambetov Government|Tasmagambetov's government]] was short-lived, facing opposition by the [[Parliament of Kazakhstan|Parliament]] over his proposed policies on land privatisation which led to a [[motion of no confidence]] against him.<ref>{{Cite news|date=26 June 2003|title=Short-lived, but still a mutiny|newspaper=The Economist|url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2003/06/26/short-lived-but-still-a-mutiny|access-date=8 June 2021|issn=0013-0613}}</ref> Tasmagambetov resigned in June 2003 and Nazarbayev appointed [[Daniyal Akhmetov]] to lead the government citing the reason "to intensify the pace of social and economic development."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kusainov|first=Aldar|date=13 June 2003|title=Government Reshuffle in Kazakhstan Gives Nazarbayev Maneuverability on Key Issues |url=https://eurasianet.org/government-reshuffle-in-kazakhstan-gives-nazarbayev-maneuverability-on-key-issues|access-date=8 June 2021|website=eurasianet.org|language=en}}</ref>

=== 2006–2011: Third term ===
 
In June 2000, the [[Constitutional Council (Kazakhstan)|Constitutional Council]] announced its resolution which declared that Nazarbayev's second term was, in fact, his first due to the adaptation of the new Kazakh Constitution which took place in 1995 during Nazarbayev's first term. This allowed him the opportunity to run for another election as his term was set to end in 2007.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Resolution of the Constitutional Council of the Republic of Kazakhstan "About official interpretation of Item 5 of article 42 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan"|url=https://cis-legislation.com/document.fwx?rgn=16013|access-date=29 January 2021|website=cis-legislation.com}}</ref> 

On 4 December 2005, new [[2005 Kazakh presidential election|presidential elections]] were held where Nazarbayev won by an overwhelming majority of 91.15% (from a total of 6,871,571 eligible participating voters) in the first round. Nazarbayev was sworn in for another seven-year term on 11 January 2006.<ref>{{Cite web|title=January 11. Kazinform's timeline of major events|url=http://lenta.inform.kz/en/january-11-kazinform-s-timeline-of-major-events_a3119024|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323030757/http://lenta.inform.kz/en/january-11-kazinform-s-timeline-of-major-events_a3119024|archive-date=23 March 2018|access-date=22 March 2018|website=lenta.inform.kz|language=ru}}</ref>

In 2006, the [[Otan (party)|Otan]] increased its ranks as all pro-presidential parties began merging into one. Nazarbayev supported the move, stating the need for there to be fewer, but stronger parties that "efficiently defend the interests of the population."<ref>{{Cite web|date=10 November 2006|title=Pro-Nazarbaev Party Merges With President's Power Base|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1072644.html|access-date=29 January 2021|website=RFE/RL}}</ref> In December 2006, the Otan renamed itself into [[Nur Otan]] and on 4 July 2007, Nazarbayev was re-elected as the party's chairman.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pannier |first=Bruce |date=22 December 2006 |title=Kazakhstan: Ruling Party Gets Even Bigger |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1073642.html |access-date=29 January 2021 |website=RFE/RL}}</ref>

Amidst the [[2007 Kazakh political shakeup|political shakeup]], Nazarbayev dismissed Prime Minister [[Daniyal Akhmetov]] in January 2007 and appointed Deputy PM [[Karim Massimov]] to the post. He stated that Massimov had the "sufficient knowledge and experience" to "develop Kazakhstan's successes."<ref name="MASIMOV">{{cite web|date=10 January 2007|title=Kazakhstan appoints new PM|url=http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411319/956424|url-status=dead|work=[[Television New Zealand]]|accessdate=14 September 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515172113/http://tvnz.co.nz/view/page/411319/956424|archivedate=15 May 2011}}</ref>[[File:President George W. Bush and Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev shake hands.jpg|thumb|Nazarbayev with U.S. President [[George W. Bush]] at the White House in September 2006]] 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>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-may-19-fg-kazakh19-story.html|title=Kazakhstan lifts term limits on long-ruling leader|last=Holley|first=David|date=19 May 2007|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=20 March 2019|language=en-US|issn=0458-3035|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110225730/http://articles.latimes.com/2007/may/19/world/fg-kazakh19|archive-date=10 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> That same year in August, [[2007 Kazakh legislative election|legislative elections]] were held from which the [[Nur Otan]] won all the contested seats in the [[Mazhilis]], eliminating any form of opposition which sparked controversy and criticism from international organizations and groups within the country.<ref>{{Cite web|date=19 August 2007|title=Ruling Party Sweeps Kazakh Parliamentary Polls |url=https://eurasianet.org/ruling-party-sweeps-kazakh-parliamentary-polls|access-date=29 January 2021|website=eurasianet.org|language=en}}</ref> In response, Kazakhstan introduced an amendment by allowing for a [[two-party system]] since any party that wins second place in race—regardless or not if it passes the 7% [[electoral threshold]]—would be guaranteed to have representation in the Parliament.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Dave|first=Bhavna|url=https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/inline_images/NIT-2011-Kazakhstan.pdf|title=Nations in Transit 2011|year=2011|pages=269–270}}</ref>

Nazarbayev has always emphasized the role of education in the nation's social development. In order to make education affordable, on 13 January 2009, he introduced educational grant "Orken" for the talented youth of Kazakhstan. This decree was amended on 23 September 2016.<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|work=Kazinform|date=23 September 2016|access-date=10 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161011072508/http://www.inform.kz/en/kazakh-president-amends-decree-on-educational-grant-for-talented-youngsters_a2951981|archive-date=11 October 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2009, former UK Cabinet Minister [[Jonathan Aitken]] released a biography of the Kazakh leader entitled ''Nazarbayev and the Making of Kazakhstan''. The book took a generally pro-Nazarbayev stance, asserting in the introduction that he is mostly responsible for the success of modern Kazakhstan.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Casey |first=Michael |date=11 April 2017 |title=Kazakhstan Thanks British Nazarbayev Biographer |work=The Diplomat |location=Arlington, VA |url=https://thediplomat.com/2017/04/kazakhstan-thanks-british-nazarbayev-biographer/ |access-date=26 April 2017}}</ref>

=== 2011–2015: Fourth term ===
[[File:Zhas Otan 2 Congress-2.JPG|thumb|236x236px|Nazarbayev holding a speech in 2012]]
In April 2011, [[2011 Kazakh presidential election|Nazarbayev ran for a fourth term]], winning 95.5% of the vote during the first round with virtually no opposition candidates. Following his victory, he announced the need in finding an "optimal way of empowering parliament, increasing the government's responsibility and improving the electoral process."<ref>{{Cite news|date=8 April 2011|title=Kazakhstan President Nazarbayev sworn in for new term|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-13013592|access-date=29 January 2021}}</ref>

On 11 June 2011, Daniel Witt, Vice Chairman of the Eurasia Foundation, acknowledged the role of Nazarbayev and his political reforms:<blockquote>"[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>{{cite web|title=Kazakhstan's Presidential Election Shows Progress|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-witt/kazakhstans-presidential-_b_847612.html|work=HuffPost|date=11 June 2011|author=Witt, Daniel|access-date=16 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113164659/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-witt/kazakhstans-presidential-_b_847612.html|archive-date=13 November 2012|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>In December 2011, [[2011 Mangystau riots|opponents of Nazarbayev rioted in Mangystau]], described by the [[BBC]] as the biggest opposition movement of his time in power.<ref name="Abuse">{{cite news|date=15 May 2012|title=Abuse claims swamp Kazakh oil riot trial|work=BBC|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18055249|url-status=live|access-date=16 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517120810/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18055249|archive-date=17 May 2012}}</ref> On 16 December 2011, demonstrations in the oil town of [[Zhanaozen]] clashed with police on the country's Independence Day.<ref>{{cite news|date=15 December 2016|title=Kazakhstan: Zhanaozen Oil Workers Did Not Take Up Arms|work=KazWorld.info|url=http://kazworld.info/?p=59632|url-status=usurped|access-date=15 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109191602/http://kazworld.info/?p=59632|archive-date=9 November 2017}}</ref> Fifteen people were shot dead by security forces<ref>{{Cite news|title=The Stable State of Nursultan Nazarbayev's Kazakhstanl|language=en|work=Forbes|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2017/02/17/the-stable-state-of-nursultan-nazarbayevs-kazakhstan/#33eb86a463b9|url-status=live|access-date=31 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107033146/https://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2017/02/17/the-stable-state-of-nursultan-nazarbayevs-kazakhstan/#33eb86a463b9|archive-date=7 November 2017}}</ref> and almost 100 people were injured. Protests quickly spread to other cities but then died down. The subsequent trial of demonstrators uncovered mass abuse and [[torture]] of detainees.<ref name="Abuse" /> 
[[File:CSTO Collective Security Council meeting Kremlin, Moscow 2012-12-19 05.jpeg|thumb|Nazarbayev at the 2012 [[CSTO]] meeting in Moscow, Russia]]
[[File:Painting of Nursultan Nazarbayev (15128133391).jpg|left|thumb|229x229px|Painting of Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2014]]
On 24 September 2012, Nazarbayev appointed [[Serik Akhmetov]] as the PM, a close-ally of Nazarbayev who served as First Deputy PM under [[First Massimov Cabinet|Massimov's cabinet]] and the [[List of Äkims of Karaganda Region|Äkim of Karaganda Region]].<ref>{{Cite news|last=Petersen|first=Alexandros|date=25 September 2012|title=Kazakhstan Cabinet Reshuffle Promotes Massimov|url=https://jamestown.org/program/kazakhstan-cabinet-reshuffle-promotes-massimov/|access-date=8 June 2021|website=Jamestown|publisher=Eurasia Daily Monitor|language=en-US}}</ref> Massimov in turn, became the new head of the [[Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan|Presidential Administration]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Petersen|first=Freya|date=24 September 2012|title=Karim Masimov quits as prime minister of oil-rich Kazakhstan|url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2012-09-24/karim-masimov-quits-prime-minister-oil-rich-kazakhstan|access-date=8 June 2021|website=The World from PRX|language=en}}</ref>

In December 2012, Nazarbayev outlined a forward-looking national strategy called the [[Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2024/10/kais-saieds-grip-on-tunisia-comes-at-a-high-cost?lang=en|title=Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy Leads to Government Restructuring|last=Keene|first=Eli|work=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|access-date=31 October 2017|language=en|date=21 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110201305/http://carnegieendowment.org/2013/02/21/kazakhstan-2050-strategy-leads-to-government-restructuring-pub-51010|archive-date=10 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2014, Nazarbayev proposed that Kazakhstan should change its name to "Kazakh Eli" ("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 suggested [[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 noted that decision should be decided by the people on whether the country should change its name.{{clarify|date=September 2018}}<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/02/07/yes-kazakhstan-should-change-its-name-this-map-shows-why/|newspaper=The Washington Post|title=WorldViews|access-date=7 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150705123146/http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2014/02/07/yes-kazakhstan-should-change-its-name-this-map-shows-why/|archive-date=5 July 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-26082740|title=Kazakhstan: President suggests renaming the country|work=BBC|date=7 February 2014|access-date=21 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140710004226/http://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-news-from-elsewhere-26082740|archive-date=10 July 2014|url-status=live }}</ref>

After Kazakhstan faced an economic downturn of which was caused by [[2010s oil glut|low oil prices]] and devaluation of the tenge, Nazarbayev on 2 April 2014 dismissed PM [[Serik Akhmetov]] and reappointed [[Karim Massimov]] to the post.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2 April 2014|title=Kazakhstan prime minister Akhmetov resigns|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kazakhstan-government-idUSBREA310Y220140402|access-date=8 June 2021}}</ref> Akhmetov subsequently was appointed as a Defence Minister while [[Second Massimov Cabinet|Massimov's government]] was aimed at dealing with the economic crisis.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Voloshin|first=George|date=9 April 2014|title=Kazakhstan's New Prime Minister to Fix Economic Problems|url=https://jamestown.org/program/kazakhstans-new-prime-minister-to-fix-economic-problems/|access-date=8 June 2021|website=Jamestown|publisher=Eurasia Daily Monitor|language=en-US}}</ref>

=== 2015–2019: Fifth and final term ===
Nazarbayev for the last time ran again in the [[2015 Kazakh presidential election|2015 presidential election]] for the fifth term. From there, he gathered 97.7% of the vote share in the first round, making it one of the biggest in Kazakhstan's history.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Lillis|first=Joanna|date=27 April 2015|title=Kazakhstan: Nazarbayev Apologetic for Lopsided Election Results |url=https://eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-nazarbayev-apologetic-for-lopsided-election-results|access-date=29 January 2021|website=eurasianet.org}}</ref> In his victory speech, he emphasized the top priority in [[Nurly Zhol]] stimulus package that was designed in softening the social blow caused by economic troubles.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.inform.kz/ru/kazahstan-sohranit-klyuchevye-prioritety-vo-vnutrenney-i-vneshney-politike-n-nazarbaev_a2770367|title=Казахстан сохранит ключевые приоритеты во внутренней и внешней политике - Н.Назарбаев|newspaper=[[Kazinform]]|date=27 April 2015|language=ru|access-date=29 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221005155345/https://www.inform.kz/ru/kazahstan-sohranit-klyuchevye-prioritety-vo-vnutrenney-i-vneshney-politike-n-nazarbaev_a2770367|archive-date=5 October 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> At a later news conference, Nazarbayev speaking about the electoral results remarked, "I apologize that for superdemocratic states such figures are unacceptable. But I could do nothing. If I had interfered, I would have looked undemocratic, right?"<ref>{{Cite news|last=Roth|first=Andrew|date=27 April 2015|title=Kazakhstan's President Is Re-elected by Almost Every Voter|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/28/world/asia/nursultan-a-nazarbayev-kazakhstan-re-elected.html|access-date=2 February 2022|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The [[Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe]] criticized the 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>

In early 2016, it was announced that 1.7 million hectares of agricultural land would be sold at an auction. This sparked [[2016 Protests against land reforms in Kazakhstan|rare protests around the country]] which called for Nazarbayev to stop the momentum on land sales and solve the nation's problems as well. In response to the fears of the lands being sold to foreigners, especially Chinese, Nazarbayev fired back at claims, calling them "groundless" and warned that any provocateur would be punished.<ref>{{Cite news|date=28 April 2016|title=Kazakhstan's land reform protests explained|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36163103|access-date=29 January 2021}}</ref> On 1 May 2016, at the [[Kazakhstan People's Unity Day]], Nazarbayev warned that without unity and stability, a crisis similarly in [[Ukraine]] would happen.<ref>{{Cite news|date=1 May 2016|title=Kazakh leader evokes Ukraine as land protests spread|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kazakhstan-protests-president-idUSKCN0XS1E1|access-date=29 January 2021}}</ref> In June 2016, [[2016 Aktobe shootings|armed attacks in Aktobe]] took place resulting in deaths of 25 people. Nazarbayev called the incident as terrorist attacks which were orchestrated from abroad to destabilize the country similarly in a [[colour revolution]] to which he accused of being infiltrated by the [[ISIS]] militants.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Orazgaliyeva|first=Malika|date=9 June 2016|title=Kazakh President Declares June 9 as National Day of Mourning|url=https://astanatimes.com/2016/06/kazakh-president-declares-june-9-as-national-day-of-mourning/|access-date=29 January 2021|website=The Astana Times|language=en}}</ref>[[File:Informal meeting with Nursultan Nazarabayev and Shavkat Mirziyoyev 02.jpg|thumb|Nazarbayev with [[Vladimir Putin]] and [[Shavkat Mirziyoyev]] in October 2018]]On 8 September 2016, Nazarbayev appointed [[Karim Massimov]] as the [[National Security Committee (Kazakhstan)|National Security Committee]] Chairman and [[Bakhytzhan Sagintayev]] to the post of the PM.<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 September 2016|title=Bakytzhan Sagintayev is appointed Kazakhstan's new prime minister|url=https://tass.com/world/898881|access-date=29 January 2021|website=Tass}}</ref> Days later on 13 September, Nazarbayev's daughter [[Dariga Nazarbayeva|Dariga]] was appointed as the member of the [[Senate of Kazakhstan|Senate]]. This suggested that Nazarbayev was preparing for his succession to be taken over by Dariga as the cabinet reshuffling had occurred after Uzbek President [[Islam Karimov]]'s death which created political uncertainty in the neighboring country.<ref>{{Cite news|date=13 September 2016|title=Kazakh leader promotes daughter, confidant in reshuffle|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kazakhstan-president-daughter-idUSKCN11J1JR|access-date=29 January 2021}}</ref> Nazarbayev dismissed the claims of hereditary succession in an interview to the [[Bloomberg News]] in November 2016, saying that the "transfer of power is spelled out by the Constitution."<ref>{{Cite news|date=23 November 2016|title=Kazakh President Nazarbayev Says Power Won't Be Family Business|language=en|work=Bloomberg.com|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-23/kazakh-president-nazarbayev-says-power-won-t-be-family-business|access-date=29 January 2021}}</ref>

In January 2017, Nazarbayev proposed constitutional reforms, which would allow for the [[Parliament of Kazakhstan|Parliament]] to have greater role in decision making, calling it "a consistent and logical step in the development of the state".<ref>{{Cite web|last=Uatkhanov|first=Yerbolat|date=25 January 2017|title=Kazakh President, Special Panel Mull Major Political Reforms|url=https://astanatimes.com/2017/01/kazakh-president-special-panel-mull-major-political-reforms/|access-date=29 January 2021|website=The Astana Times|language=en}}</ref> The Parliament approved several amendments to the [[Constitution of Kazakhstan|Constitution]] on 5 March 2017, making the president no longer able to override parliamentary votes of no-confidence, while giving the legislative branch to form a government cabinet, implementing state programs and policies. The move was seen as way by Nazarbayev to ensure the potential of a peaceful transfer of power.<ref>{{Cite news|date=6 March 2017|title=Kazakhstan parliament passes reforms reducing presidential powers|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kazakhstan-constitution-idUSKBN16D0CY|access-date=29 January 2021}}</ref>

Nazarbayev, along with seventeen heads of state and government from around the world, which included [[Felipe VI|Felipe VI of Spain]] and leaders of the [[Shanghai Cooperation Organisation|Shanghai Cooperation Organization]] member countries, consisting of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and India, attended the opening ceremony of [[Expo 2017]] which was held in [[Astana]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=10 June 2017|title=Kazakhstan celebrates inauguration of Expo 2017 Astana|url=https://www.efe.com/efe/english/patrocinada/kazakhstan-celebrates-inauguration-of-expo-2017-astana/50000268-3292933|access-date=29 January 2021|website=efe.com|language=en}}</ref> An estimated 3.86 million people visited the site with Nazarbayev at the closing ceremony on 10 September 2017 calling it as "Kazakhstan's most brilliant achievements since its independence."<ref>{{Cite web|date=10 September 2017|title=Expo Astana 2017 closes after three successful months|url=https://www.efe.com/efe/english/corporate/expo-astana-2017-closes-after-three-successful-months/50000271-3375126|access-date=29 January 2021|website=efe.com|language=en}}</ref>

Senate Chairman [[Kassym-Jomart Tokayev]], in an interview to [[BBC News]] in June 2018, suggested that Nazarbayev's term presidential from 2015 was in fact, the last one as he hinted the possibility that Nazarbayev would not run for re-election which was scheduled for 2020.<ref>{{Cite news|date=20 June 2018|title=I doubt Kazakh president will run again|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-44546885|access-date=29 January 2021}}</ref> Minister of Information and Communications [[Dauren Abaev]] responded to Tokayev's statements claiming that "there's still a lot of time" for Nazarbayev to decide on whether to run for re-election pointing out that the decision will be primarily based on his. He also added that the country would only benefit if Nazarbayev chooses to run for sixth term.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Айтжанова |first=Ботагоз |date=21 June 2018 |title='Решение за Президентом' – Абаев об участии Назарбаева в выборах в 2020 году |url=https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/reshenie-prezidentom-abaev-uchastii-nazarbaeva-vyiborah-2020-347099/ |access-date=29 January 2021 |website=Tengrinews.kz |language=ru}}</ref>

====Resignation====
{{main|Resignation of Nursultan Nazarbayev}}
On 19 March 2019, following unusually persistent [[2018–2020 Kazakh protests|protests]] in cities across the country,<ref name="rferlresign">{{cite news|title=Kazakh President Nazarbaev Abruptly Resigns, But Will Retain Key Roles|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakh-president-nursultan-nazarbaev-says-he-is-resigning-/29830123.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190319195948/https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakh-president-nursultan-nazarbaev-says-he-is-resigning-/29830123.html|archive-date=19 March 2019|access-date=19 March 2019|newspaper=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty|date=19 March 2019 }}</ref> Nazarbayev announced his [[Resignation of Nursultan Nazarbayev|resignation]] as President of Kazakhstan, citing the need for "a new generation of leaders".<ref name="reuters">{{cite news |date=19 March 2019 |title=Veteran Kazakh leader Nazarbayev resigns after three decades in power |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kazakhstan-president/president-of-kazakhstan-nursultan-nazarbayev-resigns-idUSKCN1R01N1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320043009/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kazakhstan-president/president-of-kazakhstan-nursultan-nazarbayev-resigns-idUSKCN1R01N1 |archive-date=20 March 2019 |access-date=19 March 2019 |work=Reuters}}</ref> The announcement was broadcast in a televised address in [[Astana]] after which he signed a decree ending his powers from 20 March 2019.<ref name="reuters" /> [[Kassym-Jomart Tokayev]], speaker of the upper house of parliament, was appointed as [[President (government title)|president]] of the country until the end of the presidential term.<ref name="reuters" />

Notwithstanding his resignation as president, he continued to head the ruling [[Nur Otan]] party and remains a member of the [[Constitutional Council (Kazakhstan)|Constitutional Council]]. In his televised address Nazarbayev pointed out that he had been granted the honorary status of ''elbasy'' (leader of the nation, leader of the people),{{Efn|Etymology of ''elbasy'': in Turkic languages, 'el'/'il' means 'the people', 'nation', '(home)land', etc., and 'bas'/'bash' means 'head' (both literally and in the meaning of 'leader'). A similar historical title is ''[[ilkhan (title)|Ilkhan]]''.{{citation needed|date=March 2019}}}} the title bestowed upon him by parliament in 2010.<ref name="rferlresign" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Обращение Главы государства Нурсултана Назарбаева к народу Казахстана – Официальный сайт Президента Республики Казахстан |url=https://www.akorda.kz/ru/speeches/internal_political_affairs/in_speeches_and_addresses/obrashchenie-glavy-gosudarstva-nursultana-nazarbaeva-k-narodu-kazahstana |access-date=13 January 2023 |website=Akorda.kz |language=ru}}</ref> The title was later removed due to the cancellation of the Law on the First President.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kazakhstan Annuls Law 'On the First President' |url=https://thediplomat.com/2023/01/kazakhstan-annuls-law-on-the-first-president/ |access-date=13 January 2023 |website=thediplomat.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

Various colleagues of Nazarbayev reacted within hours of the announcement, with Uzbek President [[Shavkat Mirziyoyev]] holding a telephone conversation with Nazarbayev, calling him a "great politician".<ref>{{cite web|title=Shavkat Mirziyoyev Talks with the First President of Kazakhstan on the Phone|url=https://president.uz/en/lists/view/2438|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320231415/https://president.uz/en/lists/view/2438|archive-date=20 March 2019|access-date=21 March 2019|website=president.uz}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://qazinform.com/news/shavkat-mirziyoyev-nursultan-nazarbayev-is-a-great-politician_a3509084|title=Shavkat Mirziyoyev: Nursultan Nazarbayev is a great politician|date=19 March 2019|website=[[Kazinform]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221016205730/https://www.inform.kz/en/shavkat-mirziyoyev-nursultan-nazarbayev-is-a-great-politician_a3509084|archive-date=16 October 2022|url-status=live|access-date=21 March 2019|last=Arailym|first=Temirgaliyeva}}</ref> In a cabinet meeting, Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]] praised Nazarbayev's leadership, even going as far as to say that the [[Eurasian Economic Union]] was Nazarbayev's "brainchild".<ref>{{cite web|last=Ruptly|date=20 March 2019|title=Russia: Putin praises former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJszdTom8VI&app=desktop |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/zJszdTom8VI| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status=live|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Other world leaders who sent messages to Nazarbayev included [[Ilham Aliyev]], [[President of Azerbaijan]],<ref>{{cite web|title=Official web-site of President of Azerbaijan Republic|url=https://en.president.az/articles/32468|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321022944/https://en.president.az/articles/32468|archive-date=21 March 2019|access-date=21 March 2019|website=en.president.az}}</ref> [[Alexander Lukashenko]], [[President of Belarus]], and [[Emomali Rahmon]], [[President of Tajikistan]].

According to Nazarbayev himself, he described his intention for stepping down was due to "peak of trust" by the people and that it was "necessary to leave", recalling his memories in attending funerals of Soviet leaders [[Leonid Brezhnev]], [[Yuri Andropov]] and [[Konstantin Chernenko]], embarking that "there is still a limit of human capabilities."<ref name=":12">{{Cite web|date=21 October 2021|title=Какая болезнь повлияла на решение Назарбаева уйти в отставку|url=https://www.zakon.kz/5087603-kakaya-bolezn-povliyala-na.html|access-date=22 October 2021|website=Zakon.kz|language=ru}}</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, an increasing number of accusations of corruption and favoritism were directed against Nazarbayev and his circle. Critics said that the country's government came to resemble a clan system.<ref>{{cite book|author=Martha Brill Olcott|title=Kazakhstan: Unfulfilled Promise|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Tom2gU6rzIC&pg=PA27|date= 2010|publisher=Carnegie Endowment|isbn=978-0-87003-299-8|pages=27–28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160603195130/https://books.google.com/books?id=8Tom2gU6rzIC&pg=PA27|archive-date=3 June 2016|url-status=live}}</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=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/07/09/the-price-of-oil|title=The Price of oil|author=Seymour M. Hersh|magazine=The New Yorker|date=9 July 2001|access-date=4 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052435/http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2001/07/09/the-price-of-oil|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Subsequently, Nazarbayev successfully pushed for a parliamentary bill granting him legal immunity, as well as another designed to legalise 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=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/06/11/as-kazakh-scandal-unfolds-soviet-style-reprisals-begin/|title=As Kazakh scandal unfolds, Soviet-style reprisals begin|work=Chicago Tribune|author=Peter Baker|date=11 June 2002|access-date=4 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208120254/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-06-11/news/0206110214_1_nursultan-nazarbayev-oil-rich-former-soviet-republic-soviet-union|archive-date=8 December 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://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|access-date=4 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151023105031/https://thediplomat.com/2015/08/kazakhstan-goes-after-opposition-media-in-new-york-federal-court/|archive-date=23 October 2015|url-status=live}}</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|work=Electronic Frontier Foundation|access-date=4 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208142818/https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2015/08/how-kazakhstan-trying-use-us-courts-censor-net|archive-date=8 December 2015|url-status=live}}</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 restricted to a five-year term.<ref>{{cite news|last=Holley|first=David|title=Kazakhstan lifts term limits on long-ruling leader|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-may-19-fg-kazakh19-story.html|access-date=2 April 2014|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=19 May 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140110225730/http://articles.latimes.com/2007/may/19/world/fg-kazakh19|archive-date=10 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{As of|2015}}, Kazakhstan has never held an election meeting international standards.<ref name="dissent">{{cite news |last=Pannier |first=Bruce |date=11 March 2015 |title=Kazakhstan's long term president to run in show election – again |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/11/kazakhstan-president-early-election-nursultan-nazarbayev |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190911021253/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/11/kazakhstan-president-early-election-nursultan-nazarbayev |archive-date=11 September 2019 |access-date=13 March 2015 |work=The Guardian |quote=Nazarbayev 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><ref name="Chivers">{{cite news |last=Chivers |first=C.J. |date=6 December 2005 |title=Kazakh President Re-elected; voting Flawed, Observers Say |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/06/international/asia/06kazakhstan.html |access-date=2 April 2014 |work=The New York Times |quote=Kazakhstan has never held an election that was not rigged.}}</ref>

In May 2018, the Parliament of Kazakhstan passed a constitutional amendment allowing Nazarbayev to serve as Chairman of the [[Security Council of Kazakhstan|Security Council]] for life. These reforms, which were approved by the Constitutional Council on 28 June, also expanded the powers of the Security Council, granting it the status of a constitutional body. The amendment states that, "The decisions of the security council and the chairman of the security council are mandatory and are subject to strict execution by state bodies, organisations and officials of the Republic of Kazakhstan."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://astanatimes.com/2018/07/kazakh-president-given-right-to-head-national-security-council-for-life/|title=Kazakh President given right to head National Security Council for life|author=Aigerim Seisembayeva|date=13 July 2018|work=The Astana Times|language=en|access-date=2 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402181748/https://astanatimes.com/2018/07/kazakh-president-given-right-to-head-national-security-council-for-life/|archive-date=2 April 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In December 2020, according to an investigative report by [[Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty]], it identified at least $785 million in European and U.S. real estate purchases made by Nazarbaev's family members and their in-laws in six countries over a 20-year span. This figure includes a handful of properties that have since been sold, including multimillion-dollar apartments in the United States bought by Nazarbaev's brother, Bolat. It does not include a sprawling Spanish estate owned by Kulibaev, for which a purchase price could not be found.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Big Houses, Deep Pockets: The Nazarbaev Family's Opulent Offshore Real Estate Empire|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-nazarbayev-family-wealth/31013097.html|access-date=10 January 2021|website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty|language=en}}</ref>

=== Domestic policy ===
====Economic issues====
{{See also|Economy of Kazakhstan}}
After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan faced mass unemployment and emigration.<ref>{{Cite web|date=6 July 2020|title=The legacy of Nursultan Nazarbayev in Kazakh history|url=http://businessworld.in/article/The-legacy-of-Nursultan-Nazarbayev-in-Kazakh-history/06-07-2020-294443|access-date=7 June 2021|website=Businessworld|language=en}}</ref> Nazarbayev was viewed to have followed Russia's economic reforms starting with price liberalisations.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Pomfret|first=Richard|date=2005|title=Kazakhstan's Economy since Independence: Does the Oil Boom offer a Second Chance for Sustainable Development?|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/30043927|journal=Europe-Asia Studies|volume=57|issue=6|pages=859–876|doi=10.1080/09668130500199467|jstor=30043927|s2cid=153486808|issn=0966-8136|url-access=subscription}}</ref> On 3 January 1992, he signed a decree "On measures to liberalise prices", an attempt to stabilise the country's socio-economic situation and form a [[market economy]] within Kazakhstan.<ref name=":8">{{Cite web|date=8 January 2017|title="Черный" понедельник|url=https://e-history.kz/ru/news/show/3873/|access-date=7 June 2021|website=e-history.kz|language=ru}}</ref> This resulted in a rapid inflation of goods, causing discontent amongst citizens, thus forcing Nazarbayev on 12 January to sign a "On additional measures for social protection of the population in the context of price liberalisation" which established partial state-regulated prices on bread, bakery products and flour.<ref name=":8" />

Throughout the 1990s, privatisation and banking reforms took place in Kazakhstan. In June 1994, Nazarbayev amended the [[Parliament of Kazakhstan|Parliament]]'s Economic Memorandum for the next three years, which has been defined as an economic strategy. It included strict measures to reform the economy and establish macroeconomic stability and set the task of carrying out rapid and vigorous privatization. During the introduction of the [[National Bank of Kazakhstan]] in December 1993, significant changes were made in which all specialized banks were transformed into a joint stock company, and the National Bank was granted a number of powers. In March 1995, Nazarbayev signed decree setting the National Bank as an independent entity that is accountable only for the head of state.<ref>{{Cite web|date=26 September 2013|title=Institutional reforms. Economic development|url=https://e-history.kz/en/history-of-kazakhstan/show/9700/|access-date=29 January 2021|website=e-history.kz|language=ru}}</ref>

Kazakhstan managed to avoid full impact from the [[1997 Asian financial crisis]] and [[1998 Russian financial crisis]], due to lack of high liquid investments. Nazarbayev pledged for to continue in advancing for an "independent, open and free market economy."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Gleason|first=Gregory|url=https://demokratizatsiya.pub/archives/07-2_gleason.pdf|title=The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Political Dynamics in Central Asia|year=2004|pages=248|archive-date=22 January 2022|access-date=7 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122205924/https://demokratizatsiya.pub/archives/07-2_gleason.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> Starting from early 2000's, the Kazakh economy faced huge growth thanks to its development in energy sector and high oil prices. Nazarbayev published his manifesto: ''Prosperity, Security and the Ever-Growing Welfare of all Kazakhstanis'' in 2000, where he wrote that "today we are building a new state, a new market economy and a new democracy, and this—at the very time when many other independent states have already trodden that path similar enough."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Nazarbayev |first=Nursultan |url=https://extranet.who.int/countryplanningcycles/sites/default/files/planning_cycle_repository/kazakhstan/ndp_kazakhstan.pdf|title=Prosperity, Security and Ever Growing Welfare of All the Kazakhstanis|year=2000}}</ref>

In October 2008, during the [[2008 financial crisis]], Nazarbayev assured the nation that it would deal with the crisis by introducing a rescue package amounted to 10% of the country's GDP, of which was funded thanks in part to the national sovereign wealth fund.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Olcott|first=Martha Brill|date=12 December 2011|title=Kazakhstan at 20|url=https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2011/12/kazakhstan-at-20?lang=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801101410/https://carnegieendowment.org/2011/12/12/kazakhstan-at-20-pub-46194|url-status=live|archive-date=1 August 2019|access-date=7 June 2021|website=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|language=en}}</ref> In his state of address on 6 March 2009, he announced 350,000 jobs for workers in the spheres of infrastructure projects as well as the creation of the [[Eurasian Land Bridge]].

Since 2014, Nazarbayev has set strategic priority in Kazakhstan for economic diversification which would maintain the country's stability by avoiding the effects from its oil export reliance that would affect the economy through its constant price downfalls.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Voloshin|first=George|date=13 March 2018|title=Economic Diversification Key to Kazakhstan's Future Stability|url=https://jamestown.org/program/economic-diversification-key-kazakhstans-future-stability/|access-date=7 June 2021|website=Jamestown|publisher=Eurasia Daily Monitor|language=en-US}}</ref>

=====Eurasian Economic Union=====
[[File:The signing ceremony of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union.webm|thumb|thumbtime=2:17|300px|The signing ceremony of the Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union (in [[Astana]], [[Kazakhstan]], on 29 May 2014)]]
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.|access-date=25 December 2015|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150923232307/http://www.eaeunion.org/upload/iblock/006/1994_1_1.jpg|archive-date = 23 September 2015|url-status=live}}</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, alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President [[Alexander Lukashenko|Aleksandr Lukashenko]], Nazarbayev signed the founding treaty of the Eurasian Union (EEU) in Astana, paving the way for the transition from their current customs union to the full-fledged EEU on 1 January 2015.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Presidents of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia signed a Treaty on the Eurasian Economic Union in Astana |url=http://www.eurasiancommission.org/en/nae/news/Pages/29-05-2014-1.aspx|newspaper=[[Eurasian Economic Commission]] |language=en |date=29 May 2014 |access-date=5 August 2021}}</ref> Nazarbayev named Honorary Chairman of Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in May 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.inform.kz/en/nazarbayev-named-honorary-chairman-of-supreme-eurasian-economic-council_a3531719|title=Nazarbayev named "Honorary Chairman" of Supreme Eurasian Economic Council|work=Kazinform|date=29 May 2019|access-date=29 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190529111011/https://www.inform.kz/en/nazarbayev-named-honorary-chairman-of-supreme-eurasian-economic-council_a3531719|archive-date=29 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

=====Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy=====
[[File:Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy Logo.jpg|thumb|upright|[[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 top 30 most developed nations in the world.<ref name="kz2050">{{cite web|title=Strategy 2050: Kazakhstan's Road Map to Global Success|date=18 April 2013|url=http://www.edgekz.com/by-martin-sieff-2.html|publisher=EdgeKZ|access-date=25 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140113125609/http://www.edgekz.com/by-martin-sieff-2.html|archive-date=13 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

=====Nurly Zhol=====
{{See also|Nurly Zhol}}
President Nazarbayev unveiled in 2014 a multibillion-dollar domestic modernization and reformation plan called ''Nurly Zhol – The Path to the Future''.<ref name="NZ">{{cite news|title=Kazakhstan's Nurly Zhol and China's Economic Belt of the Silk Road: Confluence of Goals|url=https://astanatimes.com/2015/09/kazakhstans-nurly-zhol-and-chinas-economic-belt-of-the-silk-road-confluence-of-goals/|work=The Astana Times|access-date=31 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171011071810/https://astanatimes.com/2015/09/kazakhstans-nurly-zhol-and-chinas-economic-belt-of-the-silk-road-confluence-of-goals/|archive-date=11 October 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> It was officially approved by the Decree of the President on 6 April 2015. The goal of the plan was for development and improvement of tourist, industrial and housing infrastructure, create 395,500 new jobs, and increase the GDP growth rate 15.7 by 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nurly Zhol Infrastructure Development Program for 2015-2019|url=https://primeminister.kz/en/documents/gosprograms/nurlyzhol|access-date=25 October 2020|website=primeminister.kz|language=en|archive-date=28 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028213135/https://primeminister.kz/en/documents/gosprograms/nurlyzhol|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In March 2019, it was announced that the program would be extended to 2025 with its new agenda being focused on developing road infrastructure.<ref>{{Cite web|date=13 March 2019|title=State Program Nurly Zhol to Be Extended until 2025|url=https://kazakh-tv.kz/en/view/plan-of-nation/page_201739_state-program-nurly-zhol-to-be-extended-until-2025|access-date=25 October 2020|website=Kazakh-tv.kz|language=en|archive-date=28 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028212837/https://kazakh-tv.kz/en/view/plan-of-nation/page_201739_state-program-nurly-zhol-to-be-extended-until-2025|url-status=dead}}</ref> According to Minister of Infrastructure and Development [[Beibut Atamkulov]], it is planned that 27,000 kilometres of local roads will be repaired, with 21,000 kilometres of national roads being reconstructed and repaired.<ref name="astanatimes_2020-10-08">{{Cite web|last=Satubaldina|first=Assel|date=8 October 2020|title=Over 10,000 Candidates Participate in Nur Otan Party Primaries, as Party Concludes First Stage|url=https://astanatimes.com/2020/10/over-10000-candidates-participate-in-nur-otan-party-primaries-as-party-concludes-first-stage/|access-date=25 October 2020|website=The Astana Times|language=en}}</ref>

=====Digital Kazakhstan=====
President Nazarbayev unveiled this technological modernization initiative to increase Kazakhstan's economic competitiveness through the digital ecosystem development.<ref>{{cite news|title=Digital Kazakhstan initiative presented at Web Summit 2017|url=https://astanatimes.com/2017/11/digital-kazakhstan-initiative-presented-at-web-summit-2017/|work=The Astana Times|access-date=30 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180131023154/https://astanatimes.com/2017/11/digital-kazakhstan-initiative-presented-at-web-summit-2017/|archive-date=31 January 2018|url-status=live}}</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 disarmament ===
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>{{cite web|title=NTI Kazakhstan Profile|url=http://www.nti.org/country-profiles/kazakhstan/|publisher=Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI)|access-date=28 July 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160224065903/http://www.nti.org/country-profiles/kazakhstan/|archive-date=24 February 2016|url-status=dead}}</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=https://thediplomat.com/2016/04/kazakhstan-and-us-renew-nonproliferation-partnership/|work=The Diplomat|access-date=2 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423184956/https://thediplomat.com/2016/04/kazakhstan-and-us-renew-nonproliferation-partnership/|archive-date=23 April 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.eureporter.co/world/kazakhstan/2023/05/25/kazakhstans-nonproliferation-model-offers-more-security/ | title = Kazakhstan's Nonproliferation Model Offers More Security | website = eureporter.co | date = 25 May 2023 | accessdate = 7 July 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://thehill.com/opinion/international/4006816-pursuing-nuclear-weapons-makes-nations-less-not-more-secure/ | title = Pursuing nuclear weapons makes nations less, not more, secure | author = Stephen Blank | website = thehill.com | date = 17 May 2023 | accessdate = 7 July 2023}}</ref>

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 governments worked closely together to dismantle former Soviet weapons stored in the country, with the Americans agreeing to [[Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction|fund over $800 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> His foreign minister signed a treaty authorizing the [[Central Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone]] on 8 September 2006.<ref>{{cite web|title=Central Asia Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone (CANWFZ)|url=https://www.nti.org/learn/treaties-and-regimes/central-asia-nuclear-weapon-free-zone-canwz/ |work=Nuclear Threat Initiative|access-date=19 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620001209/https://www.nti.org/learn/treaties-and-regimes/central-asia-nuclear-weapon-free-zone-canwz/|archive-date=20 June 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

In an oped in ''[[The Washington Times]]'', Nazarbayev called for the [[Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons|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] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327000320/http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/24/nazarbayev-toward-a-safer-nuclear-community/|date=27 March 2014}}, ''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|work=Akorda|access-date=7 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160701055555/http://www.akorda.kz/en/speeches/external_political_affairs/ext_other_events/manifesto-the-world-the-21st-century|archive-date=1 July 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> In this manifest he 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/|work=Astana Times|date=5 April 2016|access-date=7 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160513120553/http://astanatimes.com/2016/04/manifest-by-kazakh-president-calls-for-global-nuclear-disarmament-steps-to-end-global-conflicts/|archive-date=13 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Religion===
[[File:Dmitry Medvedev in Kazakhstan 22 September 2008-13.jpg|thumb|During a visit to the central mosque of the [[Aktobe Region]], 2008]]
Nazarbayev put forward the initiative of holding a forum of world and traditional religions in [[Astana]]. Earlier the organisers 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] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107004910/http://www.religions-congress.org/content/view/15/34/lang,english/ |date=7 November 2017 }}. Religions-congress.org (15 October 2007). Retrieved 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.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Muratbekov|first=Yertas|date=11 June 2015|title=Congress of Religious Leaders: Promoting Dialogue between Civilisations|url=https://astanatimes.com/2015/06/congress-of-religious-leaders-promoting-dialogue-between-civilisations/|access-date=16 April 2021|website=The Astana Times|language=en}}</ref>

Nazarbayev initially 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 later made attempts to support [[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, Kazakhstan 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|access-date=12 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170305031923/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2009/jul/19/nazarbayev-kazakhstan-jonathen-aitken|archive-date=5 March 2017|url-status=live}}</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=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/29/kazakhstan-restrictive-religion-law_n_986763.html|work=HuffPost|date=29 September 2011|access-date=21 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120818005603/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/29/kazakhstan-restrictive-religion-law_n_986763.html|archive-date=18 August 2012|url-status=live}}</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?|work=EurasiaNet|date=12 November 2012|access-date=21 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813224729/http://www.eurasianet.org/node/66167|archive-date=13 August 2017|url-status=live }}</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: more than 500 on a regional level, and more than 5,000 on the national level.<ref name="leonard" />

===Nationalism===
In 2014, Vladimir Putin's remarks regarding the historicity of Kazakhstan, in which he stated that Nazarbayev "created a state on a territory that never had a state ... Kazakhs never had any statehood, he has created it" led to a severe response from Nazarbayev.<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|website=[[The Guardian]]|date=27 January 2016|access-date=12 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161212163848/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/27/kazakhstan-game-of-thrones-putin-and-borat|archive-date=12 December 2016|url-status=live}}</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=EurasiaNet|access-date=7 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160124173040/http://www.eurasianet.org/node/71536|archive-date=24 January 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|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|magazine=[[The New Republic]]|date=19 January 2015|access-date=7 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307172345/https://newrepublic.com/article/120778/eurasian-economic-union-putins-geopolitical-project-already-failing|archive-date=7 March 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> Four years later, in February 2018, Reuters reported that "Kazakhstan further loosened cultural ties with its former political masters in Moscow ... when a ban on speaking [[Russian language|Russian]] in cabinet meetings took effect ... [Nazarbayev] has also ordered all parliamentary hearings to be held in [[Kazakh language|Kazakh]], saying those who are not fluent must be provided with simultaneous translations."<ref>"[https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kazakhstan-language/lost-in-translation-kazakh-leader-bans-cabinet-from-speaking-russian-idUSKCN1GB1EJ Lost in translation? Kazakh leader bans cabinet from speaking Russian] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525033358/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kazakhstan-language/lost-in-translation-kazakh-leader-bans-cabinet-from-speaking-russian-idUSKCN1GB1EJ |date=25 May 2018 }}". Reuters. 27 February 2018.</ref>

===Human rights record===
{{main|Human rights in Kazakhstan}}

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 (politician)|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] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028020227/https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2015/country-chapters/kazakhstan|date=28 October 2016}}. Retrieved 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|access-date=31 August 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140214120404/http://rsf.org/index2014/en-index2014.php|archive-date=14 February 2014}}</ref>

===Rule of law===
According to a US government report released in 2014, in Kazakhstan:{{blockquote|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>[https://2009-2017.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 1 November 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|access-date=5 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150429071718/http://data.worldjusticeproject.org/#groups/KAZ|archive-date=29 April 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> [https://worldjusticeproject.org/rule-of-law-index/country/2020/Kazakhstan/ Kazakhstan's global rank] in the [[World Justice Project]]'s 2020 Rule of Law Index rose and was 62 out 128. Its global rank on "Order and Security" remained high (39/128) and low on "Constraints on Government Powers" (102/128), "Open Government" (81/128) and "Fundamental Rights" (100/128).

The [[100 Concrete Steps]] national plan introduced by President Nazarbayev included measures to reform the court system of Kazakhstan, including the introduction of mandatory jury trials for certain categories of crimes (Step 21)<ref>{{Citation|last1=Trochev|first1=Alexei|title=Trials and Tribulations: Kazakhstan's Criminal Justice Reforms|date=2019|url=https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-6693-2_5|work=Kazakhstan and the Soviet Legacy: Between Continuity and Rupture|pages=75–99|editor-last=Caron|editor-first=Jean-François|place=Singapore|publisher=Springer|language=en|doi=10.1007/978-981-13-6693-2_5|isbn=978-981-13-6693-2|access-date=4 December 2020|last2=Slade|first2=Gavin|s2cid=159320888|url-access=subscription}}</ref> and the creation of local police service (Step 30).<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Slade|first1=Gavin|last2=Trochev|first2=Alexei|last3=Talgatova|first3=Malika|date=2 December 2020|title=The Limits of Authoritarian Modernisation: Zero Tolerance Policing in Kazakhstan|url=https://doi.org/10.1080/09668136.2020.1844867|journal=Europe-Asia Studies|volume=73|pages=178–199|doi=10.1080/09668136.2020.1844867|s2cid=229420067|issn=0966-8136|url-access=subscription}}</ref> 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 yet it severely restricted access to the cassation review of cases by the Supreme Court.<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|date=21 September 2016|access-date=13 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161014060913/http://www.inform.kz/en/kazakh-president-instructs-to-improve-court-system_a2951383|archive-date=14 October 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the expansion of jury trials has not been implemented. Furthermore, Nazarbayev abolished the local police service in 2018 following the public outrage over the murder of [[Denis Ten]] in downtown [[Almaty]].<ref name=":0" />

===Foreign policy===
[[File:Dmitry Medvedev in South Korea, March 2012-15.jpeg|thumb|Nazarbayev (center) at the [[2012 Nuclear Security Summit]] with U.S. President [[Barack Obama]] (left) and Russian President [[Dmitry Medvedev]] (right)|left]]
During Nazarbayev's presidency the main principle of [[Foreign relations of Kazakhstan|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=inform.kz|date=5 July 2016|access-date=8 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160706153505/http://www.inform.kz/eng/article/2921958|archive-date=6 July 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = https://pemedianetwork.com/petroleum-economist/articles/trading-markets/2023/kazakhstan-is-key-to-the-middle-corridor/ | author = Victor Kotsev | title = Kazakhstan is key to the Middle Corridor | website = Petroleum Economist | date= 23 June 2023 | accessdate = 7 July 2023}}</ref> His government's policies were considered moderate by maintaining a balance between the world powers of [[United States]] and [[Russia]].

From 1990 to 1994, Nazarbayev paid official visits to the [[United States]], [[United Kingdom]], [[China]], [[Germany]], [[Russia]], [[Turkey]], [[Japan]] and other nations. By 1996, 120 nations had recognized Kazakhstan, and it had established diplomatic relations with 92 countries. The first major diplomatic initiatives by Nazarbayev were dealing with strategic issues, such as obtaining international security guarantees in the aftermath of [[nuclear disarmament]] as a result of pressure from Western nations.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cohen|first=Ariel|url=https://www.files.ethz.ch/isn/131571/kazakhstanindependence.pdf|title=Kazakhstan: The Road to Independence Energy Policy and the Birth of a Nation|publisher=Central Asia-Caucasus Institute & Silk Road Studies Program|year=2008|isbn=978-91-85937-36-3|location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref> Nazarbayev called on [[Russia]], the [[United States]], and [[China]] to conclude a [[non-aggression pact]] with Kazakhstan that would also guarantee the country's sovereignty. On 5 December 1994, Russia, U.S., and U.K. signed the [[Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances]] to Kazakhstan based on the [[Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons|Non-Proliferation Treaty]] (NPT).<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|title=Memorandum on Security Assurances in Connection with the Republic of Kazakhstan's Accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons|url=https://untermportal.un.org/unterm/display/record/unhq/memorandum_on_security_assurances_in_connection_with_the_republic_of_kazakhstan/e3f3c6f0-504b-4935-b059-d91b1e462ae8|url-status=dead|access-date=5 June 2021|website=untermportal.un.org|archive-date=19 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819204128/https://untermportal.un.org/unterm/display/record/unhq/memorandum_on_security_assurances_in_connection_with_the_republic_of_kazakhstan/e3f3c6f0-504b-4935-b059-d91b1e462ae8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Columbus|first=Frank|title=Russia in Transition, Volume 2|publisher=Nova Science Publishers, Inc|year=2003|isbn=1-59033-760-3|location=New York|pages=122}}</ref> Later, the governments of China and France added their signatures to the Memorandum.<ref name=":5" />

Kazakhstan under Nazarbayev became co-founders of the [[Shanghai Cooperation Organisation]] in 2001.<ref>Gill (30 November 2001). "Shanghai Five: An Attempt to Counter U.S. Influence in Asia?". Brookings.</ref>[[File:2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony (2018-06-14) 31.jpg|thumb|Nazarbayev with [[Nikol Pashinyan]], [[Anna Hakobyan]], [[Igor Dodon]] and [[Dmitry Medvedev]] at the [[2018 FIFA World Cup|FIFA World Cup]] in Russia, 2018]]

In January 2019, Zimbabwean President [[Emmerson Mnangagwa]] conducted a state visit to [[Astana]] to meet with Nazarbayev, in the first visit by an African leader to the country in years. This would be the last foreign head of state that Nazarbayev would receive while in office.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thezimbabwemail.com/zimbabwe/mnangagwa-arrives-in-kazakhstan/|title=Mnangagwa arrives in Kazakhstan|date=19 January 2019|website=The Zimbabwe Mail|access-date=20 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320233530/https://www.thezimbabwemail.com/zimbabwe/mnangagwa-arrives-in-kazakhstan/|archive-date=20 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Nazarbayev's last state visit to a foreign country took place five days prior to his resignation, visiting the [[United Arab Emirates]] to meet Crown Prince [[Mohammed bin Zayed]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Mohammad Bin Zayed receives President of Kazakhstan |url=https://gulfnews.com/uae/government/mohammad-bin-zayed-receives-president-of-kazakhstan-1.1552510034946 |website=gulfnews.com |date=14 March 2019 |language=en |access-date=31 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331170047/https://gulfnews.com/uae/government/mohammad-bin-zayed-receives-president-of-kazakhstan-1.1552510034946 |archive-date=31 March 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==== China ====
{{See also|China–Kazakhstan relations}}
Nazarbayev prioritized strengthening relations with China through a pragmatic approach focused on economic cooperation, regional security, and border stability. Kazakhstan resolved longstanding [[Territorial dispute|border disputes]] with China through agreements in 1994, 1997, and 2002, finalizing their 1,700-kilometer boundary.<ref name=":17">See the text of the "Agreement between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the People's Republic of China on the Kazakhstan-China international border, signed in Almaty on Aprel 26, 1994" in  [http://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/U950002331_#z5 О ратификации Соглашения между Республикой Казахстан и Китайской Народной Республикой о казахстанско-китайской государственной границе. Указ Президента Республики Казахстан от 15 июня 1995 г. N 2331] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005084021/http://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/U950002331_#z5|date=2013-10-05}}. The border shown on Google Maps follows the description in the treaty; specifically, border point 38 described in the text is at the border line's crossing with the [[Terekty River]] ({{lang-zh|labels=no|s=铁列克提河|p=Tiělièkètí Hé}}) can be seen at {{coord|45|37|00|N|82|15|30|E|region:CN-65_type:landmark|display=inline}}. The 1969-era Soviet claim in the area can be seen on the period's topo maps, e.g. border point No. 40 on [http://www.topomapper.com/?zoom=12&lat=45.62&lon=82.30&layers=B0000000000F this map] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001043634/http://www.topomapper.com/?zoom=12&lat=45.62&lon=82.30&layers=B0000000000F|date=2013-10-01}}.</ref><ref name="law469">[http://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/Z030000469_ О ратификации Протокола между Правительством Республики Казахстан и Правительством Китайской Народной Республики о демаркации линии казахстанско-китайской государственной границы. Закон Республики Казахстан от 4 июля 2003 года, N 469] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004215821/http://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/Z030000469_|date=2013-10-04}}. ("On the ratification of the Protocol agreed by the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Government of the People's Republic of China on the demarcation of the line of the Kazakhstan-China international border. Law No. 469 of the Republic of Kazakhstan. July 4, 2003")</ref>

He played a central role in founding the [[Shanghai Cooperation Organisation]] (SCO) in 2001, deepening regional cooperation with China on security and trade.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ali |first=Yerlik |date=2001-06-15 |title=20 years of Shanghai Cooperation Organization: a View from Kazakhstan - The Astana Times |url=https://astanatimes.com/2021/06/20-years-of-shanghai-cooperation-organization-a-view-from-kazakhstan/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250521052924/https://astanatimes.com/2021/06/20-years-of-shanghai-cooperation-organization-a-view-from-kazakhstan/ |archive-date=21 May 2025 |access-date=2025-08-05 |website=The Astana Times |language=en |url-status=live }}</ref> Economic ties grew substantially during his presidency, with China becoming a major trading partner and investor.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Batmaz |first=Azhar Serikkaliyeva, Aidarbek Amirbek, Eftal Şükrü |date=2018-10-01 |title=Chinese Institutional Diplomacy toward Kazakhstan: The SCO and the New Silk Road Initiative |url=https://www.insightturkey.com/articles/chinese-institutional-diplomacy-toward-kazakhstan-the-sco-and-the-new-silk-road-initiative |journal=Insight Turkey |language=en}}</ref>

Energy and infrastructure cooperation were key pillars of the bilateral relationship.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Alvarez |first=Cesar B. Martinez |date=2016-01-01 |title=China-Kazakhstan Energy Relations Between 1997 and 2012 |url=https://jia.sipa.columbia.edu/news/china-kazakhstan-energy-relations-between-1997-and-2012 |access-date=2025-08-05 |website=jia.sipa.columbia.edu}}</ref> In 2006, Kazakhstan and China completed the first stage of the [[Kazakhstan–China oil pipeline]], the first direct pipeline between China and a foreign country.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-05-26 |title=China's oil pipeline dream came true |url=https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2006-05/26/content_600633.htm |access-date=2025-08-05 |website=www.chinadaily.com.cn}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2006-07-12 |title=Kazakh Oil Reaches China Through New Pipeline |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1069776.html |access-date=2025-08-05 |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |language=en}}</ref> This was followed by the [[Central Asia–China gas pipeline]], launched in 2009, linking gas fields in Turkmenistan through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan into western China.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Auyezov |first=Olzhas |date=2009-07-01 |title=Kazakhstan expands China oil pipeline link |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/business/energy/kazakhstan-expands-china-oil-pipeline-link-idUSL179375/ |access-date=2025-08-05 |work=Reuters |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Golovnina |first=Maria |date=2007-08-18 |title=Kazakhstan, China agree on pipeline from Caspian |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/markets/oil/kazakhstan-china-agree-on-pipeline-from-caspian-idUSL18727053/ |access-date=2025-08-05 |work=Reuters |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-10-18 |title=Kazakhstan ratifies oil pipeline deal with China |url=https://www.worldpipelines.com/business-news/18102013/Kazakhstan_ratifies_oil_pipeline_deal_with_China/ |access-date=2025-08-05 |website=World Pipelines |language=en}}</ref> Nazarbayev also supported Chinese President [[Xi Jinping]]'s [[Belt and Road Initiative]] (BRI) proposal in 2013, which he aligned with Kazakhstan's domestic [[Nurly Zhol]] infrastructure program beginning in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-09-17 |title=Nazarbayev: Nurly zhol is a part of New Silk Road Economic Belt |url=https://qazinform.com/news/nazarbayev-nurly-zhol-is-a-part-of-new-silk-road-economic-belt_a2819255 |access-date=2025-08-05 |website=[[Kazinform]] |language=en}}</ref> This coordination facilitated large-scale Chinese investments in transport corridors, logistics centers, and industrial zones across Kazakhstan, further embedding the country in transcontinental trade routes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=China's Belt and Road Initiative: Kazakhstan and Geopolitics |url=https://sszi.kz/en/chinese-belt-path-kazakhstan-and-the-geopolitics-of |access-date=2025-08-05 |website=sszi.kz |publisher=JSC "Foreign Policy Research Institute"}}</ref>

Despite close ties with China, Nazarbayev's government remained discreet about the [[Xinjiang internment camps]] and [[persecution of Uyghurs in China]]. As international concern grew in the late 2010s, Kazakhstan faced domestic pressure and consular issues but opted not to publicly criticize Beijing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chang |first=Gordon G. |date=2018-09-27 |title=Kazakhstan Is Moving Away From China |url=https://www.hoover.org/research/kazakhstan-moving-away-china |access-date=2025-08-05 |website=Hoover Institution |language=en}}</ref>

====Iran====
{{See also|Kazakhstan–Iran relations}}
In a speech given in December 2006 marking the fifteenth 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 the President of Iran, [[Mahmoud Ahmadinejad]], on an upcoming visit. In one of his speeches however, Nazarbayev criticised Iran as one of the countries that provides support for terrorism. The Kazakh Foreign Ministry however, released a statement on 19 December, saying his remarks were not "what he really meant," and his comments were "mistakes."<ref name="IRAN">{{cite web|title=Kazakhstan dismisses alleged anti-Iran comments from president|url=http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-20/0612194917171736.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080308054557/http://www.irna.ir/en/news/view/line-20/0612194917171736.htm|archive-date=8 March 2008|access-date=3 January 2007}}. Retrieved 3 February 2011.</ref>

During an announcement of a railway link in 2007, Nazarbayev expressed a religious solidarity with Iran, as he was quoted as saying, "Today I will pay a visit to Turkmenistan where we will agree on the construction of a railway through Kazakhstan and [[Turkmenistan]] to Iran with access to the [[Persian Gulf]]. This will bring us closer to our [[Muslim]] brothers."<ref>{{Cite web|date=12 September 2007|title=EurasiaNet Eurasia Insight – Construction Of Railway To Iran On Agenda Of Turkmenistan Visit Kazakh Leader|url=https://eurasianet.org/posts/091207ir.shtml|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090203040941/https://eurasianet.org/posts/091207ir.shtml|archive-date=3 February 2009|access-date=5 June 2021|website=EurasiaNet}}</ref>

==== Israel ====
{{See also|Israel–Kazakhstan relations}}
Notwithstanding Kazakhstan's membership in the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (now the [[Organisation of Islamic Cooperation]]), under Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan had good relations with [[Israel]]. Diplomatic relations were established in 1992 and Nazarbayev paid official visits to Israel in 1995 and 2000.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Keinon |first=Herb|date=2 May 2019|title=Leaders of Kazakhstan, Democratic Republic of Congo keen on Israel trip|url=https://www.jpost.com/international/leaders-of-kazakhstan-democratic-republic-of-congo-keen-on-israel-trip-588397|access-date=5 June 2021|website=The Jerusalem Post|language=en-US}}</ref> Bilateral trade between the two countries amounted to $724 million in 2005.

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|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230002401/http://mfa.gov.il/MFA/PressRoom/2016/Pages/PM-Netanyahu-meets-with-Kazakhstan-President-Nursultan-Nazarbayev-14-December-2016.aspx|archive-date=30 December 2016|access-date=29 December 2016|publisher=mfa.gov.il}}</ref>

==== Russia ====
{{See also|Kazakhstan–Russia relations}}
[[File:Встреча Владимира Путина с Нурсултаном Назарбаевым 3.jpg|left|thumb|Nazarbayev with Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]] in [[Kremlin]], May 2015]]
Kazakhstan maintained close and multifaceted relations with Russia, grounded in shared history, culture, and economic ties as neighboring former Soviet republics.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Shlapentokh |first=Dmitry |date=2016-10-01 |title=Kazakh and Russian History and Its Geopolitical Implications |url=https://www.insightturkey.com/articles/kazakh-and-russian-history-and-its-geopolitical-implications |journal=Insight Turkey |language=en}}</ref> Both countries were founding members of the [[Commonwealth of Independent States]] (CIS) in 1991, which aimed to facilitate political, economic, and security cooperation among post-Soviet states.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weitz |first=Richard |date=2012-02-13 |title=Kazakhstan and the Commonwealth of Independent States |url=https://sldinfo.com/2012/02/kazakhstan-and-the-commonwealth-of-independent-states/ |access-date=2025-08-02 |website=Second Line of Defense |language=en-US}}</ref> This partnership further deepened with Kazakhstan's participation in the [[Eurasian Economic Union]] (EAEU) from 2015, promoting economic integration and free movement within the region.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Nurbekov |first=Altair |date=2014-04-02 |title=Eurasian Economic Integration 'Will Continue,' Nazarbayev Says |url=https://astanatimes.com/2014/04/eurasian-economic-integration-will-continue-nazarbayev-says/ |access-date=2025-08-02 |website=The Astana Times}}</ref> Security collaboration was conducted through frameworks like the Russian-led [[Collective Security Treaty Organization]] (CSTO), addressing regional stability and counterterrorism.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-05-23 |title=Int'l terror biggest challenge for CSTO - Nazarbayev |url=https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/23774/ |access-date=2025-08-02 |website=www.interfax.com}}</ref>

Nazarbayev pursued a multi-vector foreign policy, balancing Kazakhstan's relations with Russia through high-level meetings with Russian leaders—including [[Boris Yeltsin]], [[Vladimir Putin]], and [[Dmitry Medvedev]]. Cooperation with Russia focused on trade, energy, security, and border management.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Nurgaliyeva |first=Lyailya |date=2016-01-01 |title=Kazakhstan's economic soft balancing policy vis-à-vis Russia: From the Eurasian Union to the economic cooperation with Turkey |url=https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euras.2015.10.008 |journal=Journal of Eurasian Studies |language=EN |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=92–105 |doi=10.1016/j.euras.2015.10.008 |issn=1879-3665|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Energy cooperation was a key aspect of the relationship.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2009-03-05 |title=Putin meeting Nazarbayev, signing of energy agreement |url=https://newsroom.ap.org/editorial-photos-videos/detail?itemid=5f67610359bc53daad4343a64f8201ec&mediatype=video&query=MIDDLE%20EAST&current=9&orderBy=Relevance&hits=10&referrer=search&search=/search?query=MIDDLE%2520EAST&allFilters=Oil%2520and%2520gas%2520extraction:Subject,Industrial%2520products%2520and%2520services:Subject&allFilters=Oil%20and%20gas%20extraction:Subject,Industrial%20products%20and%20services:Subject&productType=IncludedProducts&page=1 |access-date=2025-08-02 |website=newsroom.ap.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Russia and Kazakhstan Pursue Energy Partnership |url=https://jamestown.org/program/russia-and-kazakhstan-pursue-energy-partnership/ |access-date=2025-08-02 |language=en-US}}</ref> Kazakhstan's oil and natural gas exports relied heavily on routes passing through Russia, such as those of the [[Caspian Pipeline Consortium]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Kumenov |first=Almaz |date=2019-02-09 |title=Kazakhstan and its pungent oil: A curse and a blessing |url=https://eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-and-its-pungent-oil-a-curse-and-a-blessing |access-date=2025-08-02 |website=Eurasianet |language=en}}</ref> While the energy partnership was generally stable, disputes occasionally arose over tariffs and transit terms, prompting Kazakhstan to explore alternative export routes and support the [[Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2006-06-08 |title=Kazakhstan to join BTC pipeline |url=https://www.ogj.com/pipelines-transportation/article/17280964/kazakhstan-to-join-btc-pipeline |access-date=2025-08-02 |website=Oil & Gas Journal |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan plan an undersea trans-Caspian oil pipeline |url=https://www.cacianalyst.org/publications/analytical-articles/item/13407-kazakhstan-and-azerbaijan-plan-an-undersea-trans-caspian-oil-pipeline.html |access-date=2025-08-02 |website=www.cacianalyst.org |language=en}}</ref>

Amid Russia's growing geopolitical assertiveness, including the [[Russo-Georgian War]], the [[Russian annexation of Crimea|2014 annexation of Crimea]] and [[War in Donbas|conflict in eastern Ukraine]], and [[Russian intervention in the Syrian civil war|military involvement in the Syrian civil war]], Nazarbayev consistently emphasized adherence to international law, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, seeking to preserve Kazakhstan's strategic partnership with Moscow while avoiding entanglement in regional conflicts.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kazakhstan-Russian Relations: Risk Factors |url=https://www.eurasian-research.org/publication/kazakhstan-russian-relations-risk-factors/ |access-date=2025-08-02 |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ramani |first=Samuel |date=2017-08-06 |title=Analysis: CSTO Rift Grows Between Moscow And Astana |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/qishloq-ovozi-csto-kazakhstan-russia-nazarbaev/28661553.html |access-date=2025-08-02 |work=Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |language=en}}</ref>

==== United States ====
{{See also|Kazakhstan–United States relations}}
[[File:President George H. W. Bush and President Nursultan Nazarbaev of Kazakhstan pitch horseshoes.jpg|thumb|Nazarbayev and U.S. President [[George H. W. Bush]] pitching horseshoes at the White House, May 1992]]
The United States was among the first countries to recognize Kazakhstan's independence in December 1991, providing important diplomatic support during the nation's early years. In May 1992, Nazarbayev made his first state visit to the United States, meeting with President [[George H. W. Bush]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kazakhstan – Visits by Foreign Leaders – Department History – Office of the Historian |url=https://history.state.gov/departmenthistory/visits/kazakhstan |access-date=7 June 2021 |website=history.state.gov}}</ref> During this visit, the leaders expressed a commitment to developing friendly and cooperative relations. Nazarbayev also signed a landmark agreement with [[Chevron Corporation|Chevron]] to develop the [[Tengiz Field|Tengiz oil field]], signaling the start of major American investment in Kazakhstan's energy sector.<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/PPP-1992-book1/pdf/PPP-1992-book1-doc-pg792.pdf |title=Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1992, Book I) |publisher=U.S. Government Publishing Office |pages=793}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Greenhouse |first=Steven |date=19 May 1992 |title=Chevron to Spend $10 Billion to Seek Oil in Kazakhstan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/05/19/world/chevron-to-spend-10-billion-to-seek-oil-in-kazakhstan.html |access-date=7 June 2021 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

A central aspect of U.S.–Kazakhstan relations during Nazarbayev’s presidency was Kazakhstan's decision to voluntarily renounce the nuclear weapons it inherited from the Soviet Union. Nazarbayev's government closed the [[Semipalatinsk Test Site]] and worked closely with the United States under the [[Cooperative Threat Reduction]] program to dismantle weapons of mass destruction and related infrastructure. Kazakhstan's role in global nuclear nonproliferation was further highlighted by its hosting of the [[International Atomic Energy Agency]]'s Low-Enriched Uranium Bank, designed to promote peaceful nuclear energy.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=26 March 2012 |title=Remarks by President Obama and President Nursultan Nazarbayev of the Republic of Kazakhstan Before Bilateral Meeting |url=https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2012/03/26/remarks-president-obama-and-president-nursultan-nazarbayev-republic-kaza |access-date=7 June 2021 |website=whitehouse.gov |language=en}}</ref>

Throughout his tenure, Nazarbayev met with several US diplomats and presidents, including [[Bill Clinton]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=President Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan - Collection Finding Aid · Clinton Digital Library |url=https://clinton.presidentiallibraries.us/items/show/44114 |access-date=2025-08-03 |website=clinton.presidentiallibraries.us}}</ref> [[George W. Bush]],<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kelemen |first=Michele |date=2006-09-29 |title=Kazakh President Visits the White House |url=https://www.npr.org/2006/09/29/6165660/kazakh-president-visits-the-white-house |access-date=2025-08-03 |work=NPR |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Gedda |first=George |date=30 September 2006 |title=Bush and Kazakh leader praise each other in Oval Office meeting |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/235910 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607025019/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/235910 |archive-date=7 June 2021 |access-date=7 June 2021 |website=Taiwan News |publisher=Associated Press}}</ref> [[Barack Obama]],<ref name=":6" /> and [[Donald Trump]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Wilkie |first=Christina |date=16 January 2018 |title=Kazakhstan is a 'kleptocracy' ruled by an autocrat. It's also an increasingly important strategic ally |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/16/kazakhstan-is-a-kleptocracy-ruled-by-an-autocrat-its-also-an-increasingly-important-strategic-ally.html |access-date=7 June 2021 |website=CNBC |language=en}}</ref> These meetings served to strengthen cooperation on energy development, regional security, counterterrorism, and nuclear nonproliferation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Partners for Prosperity |url=https://www.thebusinessyear.com/kazakhstan-2018/partners-for-prosperity/guest-speaker |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607051335/https://www.thebusinessyear.com/kazakhstan-2018/partners-for-prosperity/guest-speaker |archive-date=7 June 2021 |access-date=7 June 2021 |website=The Business Year}}</ref> Under Nazarbayev's leadership, Kazakhstan and the United States established a strategic partnership that contributed to regional stability and addressed shared security concerns.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Aben |first=Dauren |title=New Chapter in Kazakhstan-U.S. Relations* |url=https://www.eurasian-research.org/publication/new-chapter-in-kazakhstan-u-s-relations/ |access-date=2025-08-02 |language=en-US}}</ref>

==== Turkey ====
{{See also|Kazakhstan–Turkey relations}}
Kazakhstan established early and enduring diplomatic ties with Turkey. In March 1991, Turkish President [[Turgut Özal]] became the first foreign head of state to visit Kazakhstan, signing foundational cooperation agreements.<ref name=":15">{{cite web |last=Arystanbekova |first=Akmaral |date=13 March 2021 |title=30 Years Ago, Turkish President Paid First Official Visit to Kazakhstan |url=https://astanatimes.com/2021/03/30-years-ago-turkish-president-paid-first-official-visit-to-kazakhstan/ |access-date=23 February 2022 |website=The Astana Times}}</ref> Turkey promptly recognized Kazakhstan's independence that year, and diplomatic relations were formally established on 2 March 1992. Later that year, Nazarbayev made his inaugural state visit to [[Ankara]], commemorating the opening of Kazakh embassy and deepening bilateral engagement.<ref name=":16">{{cite web |date=2 March 2020 |title=ИНФОГРАФИКА – Турция и Казахстан: 28 лет дружбы |url=https://www.aa.com.tr/ru/политика/инфографика-турция-и-казахстан-28-лет-дружбы/1752057 |access-date=23 February 2022 |website=[[Anadolu Ajansı]] |language=ru}}</ref>

During his presidency, Nazarbayev prioritized Turkey as a key partner, driven by shared Turkic heritage and strategic interests. One of the earliest symbols of this partnership was the transformation of Turkistan State University into the Khoja Akhmet Yassawi International Kazakh–Turkish University in 1991, formally established by bilateral agreement in October 1992.<ref>{{cite web |title=Faculty of Theological |url=https://ayu.edu.kz/birimler/en/4-ilahiyat-fakultesi/tarihce |access-date=3 August 2025 |website=ayu.edu.kz}}</ref> Educational ties expanded further through the opening of dozens of Kazakh–Turkish lyceums across Kazakhstan, supported by the Kazakh–Turkish Education Foundation, and through scholarship programs that enabled thousands of Kazakh students to study in Turkey.<ref>{{cite news |date=7 November 2004 |title=Kazakh Turkish Schools Realize Nazarbayev's Dreams |url=http://www.todayszaman.com/news-13664-kazakh-turkish-schools-realize-nazarbayevs-dreams.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130922053433/http://www.todayszaman.com/news-13664-kazakh-turkish-schools-realize-nazarbayevs-dreams.html |archive-date=22 September 2013 |access-date=3 August 2025 |work=TODAY'S ZAMAN |language=en-US}}</ref>

During his presidency, Nazarbayev prioritized Turkey as a key partner, driven by shared Turkic heritage and strategic interests. Significant milestones included a Strategic Partnership Agreement in 2009, which expanded collaboration in energy, infrastructure, education, and defense.<ref>{{cite web |date=22 October 2009 |title=Turkey and Kazakhstan signed Strategic Partnership Agreement |url=https://qazinform.com/news/turkey-and-kazakhstan-signed-strategic-partnership-agreement_a2206693 |access-date=3 August 2025 |website=[[Kazinform]]}}</ref> Economically, the "New Synergy" initiative aimed to raise bilateral trade from around US $3.3 billion in 2011 toward US $10 billion by 2015, and Turkish investors played a growing role in Kazakh infrastructure and energy projects.<ref>{{cite web |date=15 October 2012 |title=There are no outstanding issues between Kazakhstan and Turkey: Nazarbayev |url=https://en.tengrinews.kz/politics_sub/there-are-no-outstanding-issues-between-kazakhstan-and-13718/ |access-date=3 August 2025 |website=Главные новости Казахстана - Tengrinews.kz |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Байдаров |first=Еркин |date=23 September 2018 |title=Как далеко могут зайти в сотрудничестве Казахстан и Турция: мнение эксперта |url=https://eurasia.expert/kak-daleko-mogut-zayti-v-sotrudnichestve-kazakhstan-i-turtsiya-mnenie-eksperta/ |access-date=23 February 2022 |website=eurasia.expert |language=ru}}</ref> Nazarbayev also incorporated Turkey into his [[Nurly Zhol]] economic corridor strategy to strengthen transport links between Europe and Central Asia.<ref>{{cite web |date=18 April 2015 |title=Turkey - close and reliable political and economic partner of Kazakhstan: Nazarbayev |url=https://en.tengrinews.kz/politics_sub/turkey-close-and-reliable-political-and-economic-partner-of-259875/ |access-date=3 August 2025 |website=Tengrinews.kz |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=14 September 2018 |title=Nazarbayev called Turkey to joint use of transport potentials of Kazakhstan |url=https://kaztag.kz/en/news/nazarbayev-called-turkey-to-joint-use-of-transport-potentials-of-kazakhstan |access-date=3 August 2025 |website=KazTAG |language=en}}</ref>

==Post-presidency==
[[File:2019 Moscow Victory Day Parade 15.jpg|left|thumb|Nazarbayev (third from the left) with [[Vladimir Putin]] at the [[2019 Moscow Victory Day Parade]]]]
According to ''[[The Economist]]'', despite his resignation, he is still behind the leadership of the country.<ref name="veconomist">{{cite news|title=The people of Kazakhstan wonder who their next president will be|url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2019/04/13/the-people-of-kazakhstan-wonder-who-their-next-president-will-be|newspaper=The Economist|date=11 April 2019|access-date=12 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412065150/https://www.economist.com/asia/2019/04/13/the-people-of-kazakhstan-wonder-who-their-next-president-will-be|archive-date=12 April 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> His resignation is considered by ''[[The Moscow Times]]'' to be an attempt to turn him into a [[Lee Kuan Yew]] type of public figure.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hess|first=Max|title=Nazarbayev's Resignation Is an Attempt to Institutionalize His System|url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/03/22/nazarbayevs-resignation-is-an-attempt-to-institutionalize-his-system-a64930|work=The Moscow Times|language=en|date=22 March 2019|access-date=10 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326074707/https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/03/22/nazarbayevs-resignation-is-an-attempt-to-institutionalize-his-system-a64930|archive-date=26 March 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the month since his resignation, he had met with South Korean President [[Moon Jae-in]] and Hungarian Prime Minister [[Viktor Orbán]] during their visit to Kazakhstan. Notably, their meetings with Nazarbayev took place separately from their meetings with President Tokayev, who is the ''de jure'' [[head of state]]. Two days after leaving office, he attended the [[Nauryz]] celebrations where he was greeted by the civilian population.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nauryz celebrated throughout the country|url=https://astanatimes.com/2019/03/nauryz-celebrated-throughout-the-country/|work=The Astana Times|language=en|date=26 March 2019|access-date=10 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331000914/https://astanatimes.com/2019/03/nauryz-celebrated-throughout-the-country/|archive-date=31 March 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> In regard to accommodations as the first president, it is known that his personal office (now known as ''Kökorda'') has been moved to a different location in the capital from the presidential palace. It was also reported in late April 2019 that Nazarbayev also maintains a private jet for official and private visits.<ref>{{cite web|last=Auyezov|first=Olzhas|title=Kazakhs, foreign investors puzzled by power-sharing leaders|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kazakhstan-president/kazakhs-foreign-investors-puzzled-by-power-sharing-leaders-idUSKCN1S50NA|work=Reuters|language=en|date=29 April 2019|access-date=10 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510005133/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kazakhstan-president/kazakhs-foreign-investors-puzzled-by-power-sharing-leaders-idUSKCN1S50NA|archive-date=10 May 2019|url-status=live }}</ref>

He has embarked on two foreign visits since leaving office, to [[Beijing]] and [[Moscow]]. The former visit took place during the second [[Belt and Road Forum]]<ref>{{cite web|last=Orazgaliyeva |first=Malika |date=27 April 2019 |access-date=3 January 2020|title=Kazakhstan has turned into 'competitive transit hub', Nazarbayev tells Belt and Road forum|work=The Astana Times |url=https://astanatimes.com/2019/04/kazakhstan-has-turned-into-competitive-transit-hub-nazarbayev-tells-belt-and-road-forum/}}</ref> while the latter took place during the [[2019 Moscow Victory Day Parade]].<ref>{{cite web|author=Matthew Luxmoore|title=Russia Marks WWII Victory Day With Military Parades, Commemorative Marches|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/end-of-wwii-commemorated-by-victory-parade-in-moscow-s-red-square/29930315.html|website=rferl.org|date=9 May 2019 |access-date=10 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510005133/https://www.rferl.org/amp/end-of-wwii-commemorated-by-victory-parade-in-moscow-s-red-square/29930315.html|archive-date=10 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In late-May, Turkish Foreign Minister [[Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu]] announced the naming of Nazarbayev as the Honorary President of the [[Turkic Council]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Vakkas Doğantekin |title=Nazarbayev made honorary president of Turkic Council|url=https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/nazarbayev-made-honorary-president-of-turkic-council/1488599|access-date=22 August 2020|work=Anadolu Agency|date=24 May 2019 |location=Ankara}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Former Kazakh president made honorary head of Turkic Council |url=https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2019/05/24/former-kazakh-president-made-honorary-head-of-turkic-council/amp |website=DailySabah|date=24 May 2019 |language=en|access-date=26 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526002931/https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/2019/05/24/former-kazakh-president-made-honorary-head-of-turkic-council/amp|archive-date=26 May 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> On 7 September, he visited [[Moscow]] once again to attend the [[Moscow City Day]] celebrations on the [[VDNKh (Russia)|VDNKh]] and to open his pavilion at the [[trade show]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Meeting with Nursultan Nazarbayev |url=http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/61478|website=President of Russia|date=7 September 2019 |language=en|access-date=8 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190909043408/http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/61478 |archive-date=9 September 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> During a visit to the [[Azerbaijan]]i capital of [[Baku]], he told the hosting President [[Ilham Aliyev]] that his father, former President [[Heydar Aliyev]], would be "very delighted" with the development of the capital.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Official web-site of President of Azerbaijan Republic – News» Meetings|url=https://en.president.az/articles/34439|access-date=3 July 2020|website=en.president.az|language=en}}</ref> In late October, he attended the [[Enthronement of the Japanese emperor|Enthronement of Japanese emperor]] [[Naruhito]] as the representative of Kazakhstan.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://elbasy.kz/ru/news/2019-10/pervyy-prezident-kazakhstana-prinyal-uchastie-v-oficialnoy-ceremonii-intronizacii|title=Первый Президент Казахстана принял участие в официальной церемонии интронизации Императора Японии Нарухито &#124; Официальный сайт Первого Президента Республики Казахстан – Елбасы Нурсултана Назарбаева|access-date=23 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023152437/https://elbasy.kz/ru/news/2019-10/pervyy-prezident-kazakhstana-prinyal-uchastie-v-oficialnoy-ceremonii-intronizacii|archive-date=23 October 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.inform.kz/en/nursultan-nazarbayev-partakes-in-japan-emperor-enthronization-ceremony_a3577740 |title=Nursultan Nazarbayev partaking in Japan Emperor enthronization ceremony |work=Казинформ |date=22 October 2019 |access-date=23 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023152435/https://www.inform.kz/en/nursultan-nazarbayev-partakes-in-japan-emperor-enthronization-ceremony_a3577740|archive-date=23 October 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> During this visit, he met with Ukrainian President [[Volodymyr Zelensky]], during which he congratulated him on his [[2019 Ukrainian presidential election|election victory]] and was invited by Zelensky to visit [[Kyiv]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/pid-chas-robochogo-vizitu-do-yaponiyi-volodimir-zelenskij-zu-57949 |title=Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Nursultan Nazarbayev during his working visit to Japan|work=Official website of the President of Ukraine |access-date=23 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023152432/https://www.president.gov.ua/en/news/pid-chas-robochogo-vizitu-do-yaponiyi-volodimir-zelenskij-zu-57949|archive-date=23 October 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.inform.kz/en/nursultan-nazarbayev-vladimir-zelensky-hold-talks-in-japan_a3577829|title=Nursultan Nazarbayev, Vladimir Zelensky hold talks in Japan |work=Казинформ |date=22 October 2019 |access-date=23 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023152431/https://www.inform.kz/en/nursultan-nazarbayev-vladimir-zelensky-hold-talks-in-japan_a3577829|archive-date=23 October 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-polytics/2803638-zelensky-meets-with-nazarbayev-in-tokyo-invites-him-to-ukraine.html|title=Zelensky meets with Nazarbayev in Tokyo, invites him to Ukraine|access-date=23 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191023152435/https://www.ukrinform.net/amp/rubric-polytics/2803638-zelensky-meets-with-nazarbayev-in-tokyo-invites-him-to-ukraine.html|archive-date=23 October 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> Nazarbayev met with Spanish [[tennis player]] [[Rafael Nadal]] during his visit to Kazakhstan for a charity [[tennis match]]. During his meeting with Nadal, he personally called former Spanish King [[Juan Carlos I]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://lenta.inform.kz/en/n-nazarbayev-met-with-rafael-nadal-and-novak-djokovic_a3578773|title=N Nazarbayev met with Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic |access-date=29 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029032435/https://lenta.inform.kz/en/n-nazarbayev-met-with-rafael-nadal-and-novak-djokovic_a3578773|archive-date=29 October 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://baseline.tennis.com/article/85638/djokovic-rafael-nadal-kazakhstan-exhibition|title=Baseline: Djokovic and Nadal face off and dance in Kazakhstan|access-date=29 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029032431/http://baseline.tennis.com/article/85638/djokovic-rafael-nadal-kazakhstan-exhibition|archive-date=29 October 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> In October 2019, it was announced that all potential ministerial candidates needed the approval of Nazarbayev before being appointed by Tokayev, with the exception of Minister of Defence, Interior Minister and Foreign Minister.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2019-10-21/kazakhstans-nazarbayev-to-confirm-ministers-governors-decree|title=Kazakhstan's Nazarbayev to Confirm Ministers, Governors: Decree|access-date=6 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191106023811/https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2019-10-21/kazakhstans-nazarbayev-to-confirm-ministers-governors-decree|archive-date=6 November 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
[[File:Нурсултан Назарбаев (03-06-2021).jpg|thumb|323x323px|Nazarbayev in 2021]]
On 29 November 2019, Nazarbayev was named the Honorary Chair of Central Asian Consultative Meeting. It was announced at the second Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia in [[Tashkent, Uzbekistan|Tashkent]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Nazarbayev named honorary chair of Central Asian Consultative Meeting, proposes solidifying cooperation|url=https://astanatimes.com/2019/12/nazarbayev-named-honorary-chair-of-central-asian-consultative-meeting-proposes-solidifying-cooperation/|work=Astana Times|access-date=13 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191211033816/https://astanatimes.com/2019/12/nazarbayev-named-honorary-chair-of-central-asian-consultative-meeting-proposes-solidifying-cooperation/|archive-date=11 December 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

At the 29th Session of the [[Assembly of People of Kazakhstan]] (QHA) held on 28 April 2021, Nazarbayev announced his intention to step down as the QHA chairman and have President [[Kassym-Jomart Tokayev]] to succeed his role, describing it as an emotional "serious step".<ref>{{Cite web|date=28 April 2021|title=Назарбаев открыл сессию АНК в Нур-Султане|url=https://www.nur.kz/politics/kazakhstan/1910127-nazarbaev-otkryl-sessiyu-ank-v-nur-sultane/?|access-date=28 April 2021|website=nur.kz|language=ru}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|date=28 April 2021|title=Назарбаев стал почетным председателем Ассамблеи народа Казахстана|url=https://ria.ru/20210428/nazarbaev-1730306821.html|access-date=29 April 2021|website=РИА Новости|language=ru}}</ref> However from there, Tokayev suggested for Nazarbayev to be named as an "Honorary Chairman" by the QHA to which his statements received applause. Nazarbayev accepted the offer, promising to continue to work with the Assembly.<ref name=":4"/>

In October 2021, during a visit to the [[United Arab Emirates]], Nazarbayev awarded Crown Prince [[Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan]] the Nuclear Weapon-Free World and Global Security award for ensuring peace, regional stability and sustainable economic development.<ref>{{Cite web|date=28 October 2021|title=Назарбаев встретился с наследным принцем Абу-Даби|url=https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/nazarbaev-vstretilsya-s-naslednyim-printsem-abu-dabi-452477/|access-date=1 November 2021|website=Tengrinews.kz|language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=29 October 2021|title=Nazarbayev meets with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan|url=https://akipress.com/news:664110:Nazarbayev_meets_with_Crown_Prince_of_Abu_Dhabi_Mohammed_bin_Zayed_Al_Nahyan/?place=main2|access-date=1 November 2021|website=akipress.com}}</ref>

On 23 November 2021, at the [[Nur Otan]] political council meeting, it was revealed that Nazarbayev would resign from the party's leadership and suggested President Tokayev to take over the position, stressing that the Nur Otan should be led by an incumbent president.<ref>{{Cite web|date=23 November 2021|title=Nazarbayev to hand over leadership of ruling party to incumbent Kazakh president|url=https://tass.com/world/1365091|access-date=23 November 2021|website=TASS}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=23 November 2021|title=Nazarbayev decides to quit as Nur Otan party leader|url=https://akipress.com/news:665022:Nazarbayev_decides_to_quit_as_Nur_Otan_party_leader/|access-date=23 November 2021|website=akipress.com}}</ref> The move was met with various reactions from political analysts and activists, affirming that it would increase Tokayev's governing powers and influence over the Kazakh politics while some going as far as proclaiming it as an end to the "era of Nazarbayev".<ref>{{Cite web|last=МАМАШҰЛЫ|first=Асылхан|date=23 November 2021|title=Назарбаев дәуірі аяқталды ма?|url=https://www.azattyq.org/a/nazarbayev-resignation-from-nur-otan/31575398.html|access-date=23 November 2021|website=Азаттық радиосы|language=kk}}</ref> According to Nazarbayev's press secretary Aidos Ükıbai, the decision was a "logical continuation of the transit of power" with the party needing to be main support for Tokayev due to "the global crisis caused by the [[COVID-19 pandemic|pandemic]]."<ref>{{Cite web|date=23 November 2021|title=Укибай объяснил решение Назарбаева|url=https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/ukibay-obyyasnil-reshenie-nazarbaeva-454769/|access-date=26 January 2022|website=Tengrinews.kz|language=ru}}</ref>

===Capital renaming===
On 20 March 2019, after Nazarbayev's resignation, President [[Kassym-Jomart Tokayev]] proposed renaming the capital [[Astana]] to [[Nur-Sultan]]<ref>[http://www.akorda.kz/ru/speeches/internal_political_affairs/in_speeches_and_addresses/vystuplenie-prezidenta-respubliki-kazahstan-kasym-zhomarta-tokaeva-na-sovmestnom-zasedanii-palat-parlamenta Выступление Президента Республики Казахстан Касым-Жомарта Токаева на совместном заседании палат Парламента] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321194827/http://www.akorda.kz/ru/speeches/internal_political_affairs/in_speeches_and_addresses/vystuplenie-prezidenta-respubliki-kazahstan-kasym-zhomarta-tokaeva-na-sovmestnom-zasedanii-palat-parlamenta|date=21 March 2019}}, 20 March 2019</ref> in honor of Nazarbayev. The Parliament of Kazakhstan officially voted in favour of the renaming.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/nur-sultan-novoe-nazvanie-stolitsyi-kazahstana-365516/|title=Нур-Султан – новое название столицы Казахстана|date=20 March 2019|website=Tengrinews.kz|access-date=20 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190321020543/https://tengrinews.kz/kazakhstan_news/nur-sultan-novoe-nazvanie-stolitsyi-kazahstana-365516/|archive-date=21 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

However, Kazakhstan changed the name of the capital from Nur-Sultan back to Astana in September 2022.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kazakhstan to change name of capital from Nur-sultan back to Astana |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/sep/14/kazakhstan-to-change-name-of-capital-from-nur-sultan-back-to-astana |work=the Guardian |date=14 September 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

===COVID-19===
Nazarbayev created the Biz Birgemiz (lit. "We are Together") Fund in March 2020 "to fight the [[COVID-19 pandemic|pandemic COVID-19]] effectively while supporting the economy".<ref name="Biz">{{cite web |title=Nazarbayev's Biz Birgemiz Fund Dedicates Funds to Help 80,000 Struggling Rural Families |url=https://astanatimes.com/2020/06/nazarbayevs-biz-birgemiz-fund-dedicates-funds-to-help-80000-struggling-rural-families/ |website=The Astana Times|date=27 June 2020 }}</ref> As of June 2020, the fund gathered over 28 billion tenge ($69.3 million) to provide financial aid to more than 470,000 families in 23 cities as part of the fund's three waves of assistance.<ref name="Biz"/> Upon his diagnosis with COVID-19 in mid-June of that year, he received calls and telegrams of support from world leaders, including [[Vladimir Putin]] and King [[Abdullah II of Jordan]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://elbasy.kz/en/news/2020-06/telegram-addressed-nursultan-nazarbayev-king-jordan-abdullah-ii|title=Telegram addressed to Nursultan Nazarbayev from King of Jordan Abdullah II|website=Official website of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev|access-date=5 July 2020|archive-date=5 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705210152/https://elbasy.kz/en/news/2020-06/telegram-addressed-nursultan-nazarbayev-king-jordan-abdullah-ii|url-status=dead}}</ref> as well as former [[president of Croatia]] [[Stjepan Mesić]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://elbasy.kz/en/news/2020-06/telegram-addressed-nursultan-nazarbayev-ex-president-croatia-stefan-mesic|title=Telegram addressed to Nursultan Nazarbayev from ex-President of Croatia Stefan Mesic|website=Official website of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev|access-date=5 July 2020|archive-date=5 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705130215/https://elbasy.kz/en/news/2020-06/telegram-addressed-nursultan-nazarbayev-ex-president-croatia-stefan-mesic|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In June 2021, Nazarbayev received a Russian-made [[Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine|Sputnik V]] vaccine against the virus. From there, he urged everyone to get vaccinated due to emergence of the new COVID-19 strains for their health, acknowledging the challenging times happening in amidst of the pandemic and wishing health and wellbeing for the public.<ref>{{Cite web|date=25 June 2021|title=Nursultan Nazarbayev urges Kazakhstanis to vaccinate|url=http://lenta.inform.kz/en/article/3805331|access-date=23 October 2021|website=lenta.inform.kz|language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=27 June 2021|title=Former President Nazarbayev gets vaccinated with Sputnik V|url=https://akipress.com/news:659859:Former_President_Nazarbayev_gets_vaccinated_with_Sputnik_V/|access-date=23 October 2021|website=akipress.com}}</ref>

===80th birthday===
He recovered from the virus on 3 July 2020,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.inform.kz/en/article/3668657|title=Nursultan Nazarbayev addresses people of Kazakhstan|date=3 July 2020|website=inform.kz|access-date=22 August 2020|archive-date=6 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200706130014/https://www.inform.kz/en/article/3668657|url-status=dead}}</ref> in time for the celebration of his 80th birthday which was held on 6 July and also coincided with the [[Capital City Day (Kazakhstan)|Day of the Capital City]]. Nazarbayev received congratulations from leader such as the Armenian President [[Armen Sarkissian]],<ref>{{Cite web|date=5 July 2020|title=President of Armenia congratulates Nursultan Nazarbayev on his 80th birthday|url=https://www.inform.kz/en/article/3669452|access-date=5 July 2020|website=inform.kz|language=ru|archive-date=5 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705212734/https://www.inform.kz/en/article/3669452|url-status=dead}}</ref> Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]], former Tatar President [[Mintimer Shaimiev]]<ref>{{Cite web|author=Mintimer Shaimiev|date=2 July 2020|title=Nursultan Nazarbayev: Looking Back at a Legacy of Friendship and Cooperation With Tatarstan|url=https://astanatimes.com/2020/07/nursultan-nazarbayev-looking-back-at-a-legacy-of-friendship-and-cooperation-with-tatarstan/|access-date=5 July 2020|work=The Astana Times|language=en}}</ref> and former Turkish President [[Abdullah Gül]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://elbasy.kz/ru/news/2020-07/telefonnyy-razgovor-s-eks-prezidentom-tureckoy-respubliki-abdulloy-gyulem|title=Телефонный разговор с экс-Президентом Турецкой Республики Абдуллой Гюлем|website=Официальный сайт Первого Президента Республики Казахстан – Колбасы Нурсултана Назарбаева|access-date=5 July 2020|archive-date=5 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200705154257/https://elbasy.kz/ru/news/2020-07/telefonnyy-razgovor-s-eks-prezidentom-tureckoy-respubliki-abdulloy-gyulem|url-status=dead}}</ref> Former Deputy [[Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia]] [[Grigory Karasin]] described Nazarbayev in an interview honoring his birthday as "one of the few world politicians who has a vision of political processes".<ref>{{Cite web|author=Andrei Beloborodov |date=4 July 2020|title=Nazarbayev's Legacy: Forging a Path For an Independent Kazakhstan as a Leader in Central Asia|url=https://astanatimes.com/2020/07/nazarbayevs-legacy-forging-a-path-for-an-independent-kazakhstan-as-a-leader-in-central-asia/|access-date=5 July 2020|work=The Astana Times|language=en}}</ref> The celebratory events were held virtually due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] in the country.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://astanatimes.com/2020/07/capital-day-celebrations-will-be-held-virtually-this-year/|title=Capital Day Celebrations Will Be Held Virtually This Year|work=The Astana Times |date=5 July 2020}}</ref> A statue of Nazarbayev in military uniform was unveiled at the [[National Defense University (Kazakhstan)|National Defense University]] (an institution that itself bears his name).<ref>{{Cite news|title=Новый памятник Назарбаеву открыли в канун его 80-летия в столице|url=https://rus.azattyq.org/a/30704100.html|access-date=5 July 2020|website=Радио Азаттык|date=3 July 2020 |language=ru}}</ref>

=== 2021 legislative campaign ===
{{Main|2021 Kazakh legislative election}}
While continuing to lead the [[Nur Otan]] after resigning from presidency, Nazarbayev signed a decree in the preparation of the [[2021 Kazakh legislative election|2021 legislative elections]] on 4 June 2020 setting the date of closed primaries would be held within the party "for open and political competition, promote civic engagement in the political process, and empower women and the youth of the country" to which he instructed for the party to include 30% of women and 20% of people under the age of 35 in its [[Party-list proportional representation|list]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=4 June 2020|title=Nursultan Nazarbayev signs decree on holding primary election|url=https://toppress.kz/article/nursultan-nazarbayev-signs-decree-on-holding-primary-election|access-date=21 October 2020|website=Информационный портал: Toppress.kz|language=ru-RU}}</ref> The primaries were held from 17 August to 3 October 2020 where Nazarbayev himself voted online.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2 October 2020|title=Nursultan Nazarbayev votes in Nur Otan primaries|url=https://www.inform.kz/en/article/3701553|access-date=25 October 2020|website=inform.kz|language=en|archive-date=28 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028212044/https://www.inform.kz/en/article/3701553|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="astanatimes_2020-10-08"/>

At the 20th Nur Otan Extraordinary Congress held on 25 November 2020, the Nur Otan revealed its list of party candidates as well as electoral platforms which were approved by the delegates. Nazarbayev at the congress spoke saying:<blockquote>"The party's program announced by our President [Kassym-Jomart Tokayev] today is ambitious and at the same time calculated, supported by financial and human resources. It is a logical extension of our reforms. Throughout the years of independence, I have always set clear goals, and I have said that it is necessary to work hard and hard to achieve them. And now it's the same. I support this program proposed by the President and our common task is to rally around it and work together. You have to believe in yourself, love your homeland and do everything possible for progress."<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last1=Кулмаганбетова|first1=Диана|last2=Абдуллаева|first2=Диана|date=2020-11-25|title=Nur Otan утвердила партийный список кандидатов в мажилис на внеочередном съезде|url=https://informburo.kz/novosti/predvybornyy-sezd-partii-nur-otan-tekstovaya-translyaciya.html|access-date=2021-03-29|website=informburo.kz|language=ru}}</ref></blockquote>Nazarbayev, at the congress, accused the [[United States]] of "double standards" over its conduct of the [[2020 United States presidential election|2020 presidential elections]], telling "what is there to talk about now in the United States of America, the OSCE was not allowed in the elections at all. The Democrats did not allow Republican observers and so on. It is not in order to criticize a big state, but if we are criticized, then why are there such disorders?". In his response to the [[2020–2021 Belarusian protests|Belarusian protests]] against President [[Alexander Lukashenko]]'s [[2020 Belarusian presidential election|re-election]], Nazarbayev criticized the protestors, saying "they've been fucking Belarus for a whole month," and noted the [[2020–2021 Bulgarian protests|Bulgarian protests]] in which Nazarbayev claimed that it received a lack of international attention in contrast with Belarus.<ref>{{Cite news|date=25 November 2020|title="Не пустили ОБСЕ", "долбали Беларусь". Назарбаев перед выборами хвалит себя и критикует США|url=https://rus.azattyq.org/a/30968248.html|access-date=29 March 2021|website=Радио Азаттык (Azattyk Radio) |language=ru }}</ref> To conclude the [[Nur Otan]] congress, Nazarbayev proposed [[Bauyrjan Baibek]] to be the head of the party's campaign headquarters, a decision that was unanimously supported by the Nur Otan delegates.<ref name=":3"/>

In the following aftermath of the elections to the [[Mazhilis]] which were held on 10 January 2021, the ruling [[Nur Otan]] swept a comfortable majority of 76 seats despite a loss eight seats in contrary to the [[2016 Kazakh legislative election|2016 election]]. Nazarbayev congratulated the party's victory in the election saying, "Kazakhstanis associate the further development of our country, improvement of welfare with our party."<ref>{{Cite web|date=10 January 2021|title=Назарбаев поздравил "Нур Отан" с победой на выборах в мажилис Казахстана|url=https://www.interfax.ru/world/744516|access-date=29 March 2021|website=Interfax.ru|language=ru}}</ref>

=== 2022 unrest and resignation from Security Council ===
{{main|2022 Kazakh unrest}}
Following the [[2022 Kazakh unrest|outbreak of protests]] after a sudden sharp increase in gas prices, President [[Kassym-Jomart Tokayev]] declared a [[state of emergency]] in [[Mangystau Region]] and Almaty, effective from 5 January 2022. The [[Mamin Cabinet]] resigned the same day. On the evening of 5 January, Tokayev announced Nazarbayev's resignation from the [[Security Council of Kazakhstan|Security Council]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Taylor|first=Adam|date=7 January 2021|title=Another post-Soviet 'ruler for life' faces upheaval, as enormous protests sweep Kazakhstan|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2022/01/06/kazakhstan-nazarbayev-protest/|access-date=7 January 2021|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> Questions regarding Nazarbayev's whereabouts arose as he was viewed to be the main target in the unrest with anti-Nazarbayev slogans being chanted throughout protests along with monuments and street names dedicated to him being vandalized and torn down.<ref>{{Cite news|date=5 January 2022|title=Powerful ex-leader Nazarbayev is main target of Kazakhs' anger|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/powerful-ex-leader-nazarbayev-is-main-target-kazakhs-anger-2022-01-05/|access-date=26 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Kumenov|first=Almaz|date=20 January 2022|title=Kazakhstan: De-Nazarbayevification picks up steam, but is it just for show?|url=https://eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-de-nazarbayevification-picks-up-steam-but-is-it-just-for-show|access-date=26 January 2022|website=eurasianet.org|language=en}}</ref>

Rumours about Nazarbayev fleeing Kazakhstan was brought up by [[Echo of Moscow]] chief editor Alexei Venediktov, claiming that he was preparing to leave the country for unspecified treatment citing inner diplomatic circle.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Медведева|first=Катерина|date=5 January 2022|title=Источник: Назарбаев готовится покинуть Казахстан |url=https://www.gazeta.ru/politics/news/2022/01/05/17103673.shtml|access-date=26 January 2022|website=Газета.Ru|language=ru}}</ref> The Kyrgyz media reported that a private jet belonging to Nazarbayev's family had allegedly arrived in the capital of [[Bishkek]] from the [[United Arab Emirates]] without official confirmation.<ref>{{Cite news|title=СМИ Кыргызстана: в Бишкек из ОАЭ прилетели два "принадлежащих семье Назарбаева" самолета|url=https://rus.azattyq.org/a/31642853.html|access-date=26 January 2022|website=Радио Азаттык|language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Пирогова|first=Дарья|date=7 January 2022|title=Бишкек прокомментировал приземление самолетов с семьей Назарбаева|url=https://ura.news/news/1052525941|access-date=26 January 2022|website=ura.news|language=ru}}</ref> While the Kazakh embassy in the UAE denied reports of his presence in the country.<ref>{{Cite web|date=19 January 2022|title=Wion: Назарбаев находится в ОАЭ|url=https://www.mk.ru/politics/2022/01/19/wion-nazarbaev-nakhoditsya-v-oae.html|access-date=26 January 2022|website=mk.ru|language=ru}}</ref> Spokesperson Aidos Ükıbai in his Twitter dismissed claims, affirming that Nazarbayev was in the capital of [[Nur-Sultan]] and that he had stayed in the country the whole time.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web|date=8 January 2022|title=Назарбаев не покидал Казахстан, заявил пресс-секретарь бывшего президента|url=https://www.currenttime.tv/a/nazarbaev-ne-pokidal-kazahstan-press-sekretar-byvshego-prezidenta/31644889.html|access-date=26 January 2022|website=Current Time|language=ru}}</ref> From there, Ükıbai stated that Nazarbayev "holds a number of consultative meetings" and is in direct contact with President Tokayev, whom he urged everyone to rally around with "to overcome current challenges and ensure the integrity" of Kazakhstan.<ref name=":13"/> 
[[File:Встреча с Нурсултаном Назарбаевым (2025-05-29) 2.jpg|thumb|Putin's meeting with Nazarbayev in the Kremlin, Moscow, 29 May 2025]]
On 18 January 2022, Nazarbayev made his first public appearance in a video address since the unrest, calling the events a "tragedy" which "became a lesson for all of us."<ref name=":14"/> From there, he urged the public "to protect independence like the apple of one's eye" by finding out unknown people responsible for "demonstrations and murders" while expressing condolences to the families of the victims in the protests.<ref name=":14"/> During the address, Nazarbayev dismissed any rumours in regard to supposed inner conflict between the country's elite by calling them "absolutely groundless", insisting that he'd been a pensioner ever since handing over presidency to Tokayev whom he remarked "possesses full power" as he was set to be elected as the new chairman of the ruling [[Nur Otan]] party.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Bartlett |first1=Paul |last2=Bisenov |first2=Naubet |date=23 January 2022|title=Kazakhstan drive to close book on Nazarbayev era gathers pace|url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Kazakhstan-drive-to-close-book-on-Nazarbayev-era-gathers-pace|access-date=26 January 2022|website=Nikkei Asia|language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Sauer|first=Pjotr|date=18 January 2022|title=Nazarbayev Denies Split Among Kazakh Elite, Says Tokayev Has 'Full Power' in First Post-Protest Comments|url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2022/01/18/nazarbayev-denies-split-among-kazakh-elite-says-tokayev-has-full-power-in-first-post-protest-comments-a76073|access-date=26 January 2022|website=The Moscow Times|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":14">{{Cite web|date=18 January 2022|title=Nazarbayev addresses Kazakhstan in 1st video message since revolt|url=https://www.dailysabah.com/world/asia-pacific/nazarbayev-addresses-kazakhstan-in-1st-video-message-since-revolt|access-date=26 January 2022|website=Daily Sabah|language=en-US}}</ref> Nazarbayev remarked about his achievements as president in which his goal was to form "stability and tranquility for the country" by calling for everyone to protect these "enduring values" and for unity around the Tokayev by supporting his reform agenda.<ref name=":14"/>

==Personal life==
{{Main article|Family of Nursultan Nazarbayev}}
Nursultan Nazarbayev identifies as a [[Muslim]]. Nazarbayev has described his spirituality as being based on the words from [[Abai Qunanbaiuly]], a [[Kazakhs|Kazakh]] poet whose philosophy is based on an enlightened [[Islam]]. According to Nazarbayev, Abai's "Words of Wisdom" aided him in attempting to build a modern Kazakhstan after the collapse of the Soviet Union.<ref>{{Cite web|author=Aidana Yergaliyeva |date=8 October 2020|title=Nazarbayev Publishes Article on Abai's Influence on His Own Life and in Shaping Contemporary Kazakhstan|url=https://astanatimes.com/2020/10/nazarbayev-publishes-article-on-abais-influence-on-his-own-life-and-in-shaping-contemporary-kazakhstan/|access-date=31 October 2020|website=The Astana Times|language=en}}</ref>
[[File:Stamps of Kazakhstan, 2013-37.jpg|thumb|Postage stamp with Nazarbayev and his wife]]
Nazarbayev is married to [[Sara Nazarbayeva|Sara Alpysqyzy Nazarbayeva]]. They have three daughters: [[Dariga Nazarbayeva|Dariga]], [[Dinara Nazarbayeva|Dinara]] and [[Aliya Nazarbayeva|Aliya]]. Aliya's first marriage was notably to [[Aidar Akayev]], the eldest son of former [[president of Kyrgyzstan]] [[Askar Akayev]], which for a short period made the two [[Central Asian]] leaders related.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/135429.stm|title=Central Asia's 'perfect couple' wed|work=BBC|access-date=13 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190320225723/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/135429.stm|archive-date=20 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Having grown up in the Soviet Union, Nazarbayev is fluent in [[Kazakh language|Kazakh]] as well as [[Russian language|Russian]] and understands [[English language|English]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kaktus.media/doc/357121_nazarbaev_pokazal_svoe_znanie_angliyskogo._eto_bylo_zabavno.html|title=Назарбаев показал свое знание английского. Это было забавно|access-date=29 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191029022650/https://kaktus.media/doc/357121_nazarbaev_pokazal_svoe_znanie_angliyskogo._eto_bylo_zabavno.html|archive-date=29 October 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> He has two brothers, Satybaldy (1947&ndash;1980) and Bolat (1953&ndash;2023),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Болат Назарбаев судится в Америке со своей бывшей женой |url=http://rus.azattyq.org/content/bolat_nazarbaev_maira_kurmangalieva_daniyar_kesikbaev_new_york/24563884.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409082924/http://rus.azattyq.org/content/bolat_nazarbaev_maira_kurmangalieva_daniyar_kesikbaev_new_york/24563884.html |archive-date=9 April 2016 |access-date=27 March 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last= |first= |date=13 November 2023 |title=Younger Brother Of Kazakh Ex-President Dead At 70 |url=https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-nazarbaev-bolat-dead/32682593.html |access-date=1 November 2024 |work=[[Radio Free Europe]] Kazakh Service |language=en}}</ref> as well as one sister named Anip.<ref>{{cite web|script-title=ru:Семья президента: Нурсултан Назарбаев|url=https://news.rambler.ru/other/40648321-semya-prezidenta-nursultan-nazarbaev/?updated|website=Рамблер/новости|date=26 August 2018 |language=ru}}</ref> On 16 August 2020, Nazarbayev's grandson, [[Aisultan Nazarbayev|Aisultan]], reportedly died from [[cardiac arrest]] in [[London]]. Prior to that, Aisultan made several public statements on social media that Nazarbayev was his biological father and that his life was constantly threatened.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nursultan Nazarbayev's grandson claims somebody wants to kill him|url=https://akipress.com/news:633257:Nursultan_Nazarbayev_s_grandson_claims_somebody_wants_to_kill_him/|access-date=17 August 2020|website=akipress.com}}</ref> He also accused his grandfather's associates of plotting and scheming.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Kazakhstan: Troubled Nazarbayev grandson dies aged 29|url=https://eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-troubled-nazarbayev-grandson-dies-aged-29|access-date=17 August 2020|work=Eurasianet|language=en}}</ref> In response, Nazarbayev described Aisultan as being very similar to himself, expressing his regrets by telling that "one could not have sent him anywhere, but it was impossible to keep him. He was already a slave to this work and could not stop. We treated him in Moscow, and we treated him in London. It seems that I went out and came back to it again."<ref>{{Cite web|date=8 January 2021|title=Он был очень похож на меня – Нурсултан Назарбаев об Айсултане – Новости Казахстана и мира на сегодня|url=https://24.kz/ru/news/social/item/447447-on-byl-ochen-pokhozh-na-menya-nursultan-nazarbaev-ob-ajsultane|access-date=22 October 2021|website=24.kz|language=ru-ru}}</ref>

On 18 June 2020, it was reported that Nazarbayev had tested positive for [[COVID-19]]; a spokesman stated that Nazarbayev would go into isolation and work remotely.<ref name="COVID-june2020">[https://eurasianet.org/kazakhstan-nazarbayev-diagnosed-with-coronavirus Kazakhstan: Nazarbayev diagnosed with coronavirus], Eurasianet 18 June 2020; retrieved 18 June 2020</ref> On 3 July 2020, Nazarbayev had recovered and was "back on his feet" three weeks after contracting the virus.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nazarbayev Recovers From Coronavirus, Back on His Feet After Three Weeks |url=https://astanatimes.com/2020/07/nazarbayev-recovers-from-coronavirus-back-on-his-feet-after-three-weeks/ |work=The Astana Times|date=3 July 2020 }}</ref> Nazarbayev later during a meeting with Russian President [[Vladimir Putin]] recalled his sickness, telling that "group of Russian doctors stood by me for ten days. It was decisive in my recovery, so it will not be forgotten."<ref>{{Cite web|date=30 June 2021|title=Meeting with Nursultan Nazarbayev|url=http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/65975|access-date=22 October 2021|website=Kremlin.ru|language=en}}</ref>

In an October 2021 interview, Nazarbayev revealed that he had suffered a disease in his spine back in 2011, to which it became noticed while attending a concert, resulting him being carefully escorted out of the hall and eventually undergo a vertebra surgery to which Nazarbayev stated was amongst things that have influenced him in eventually resigning from presidency.<ref name=":12"/>

In January 2023, Nursultan Nazarbayev was hospitalized at the National Scientific Cardiac Surgery Center in Astana. On 20 January 2023, a heart operation was performed, which was successful.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apa.az/en/cis-countries/press-nazarbayev-was-hospitalized-394210|title=Nursultan Nazarbayev undergoes heart surgery|website=apa.az|date=20 January 2023|access-date=}}</ref>

He gave his last name to his grandchildren: Aisultan Nazarbayev (1990&ndash;2020) and Nabi Nazarbayev (born 2008).

==Honours==
[[File:Nursultan Nazerbayev Square.jpg|thumb|Nursultan Nazarbayev monument, [[Ankara]], [[Turkey]]]]{{BLP sources section|date=March 2019}}[[File:Nursultan Nazarbayev Street Amman.jpg|thumb|Nursultan Nazarbayev street, Amman]]

===Kazakhstan===
*[[File:Ord.GoldenEagle-ribbon.gif|70px]] Collar of the [[Order of the Golden Eagle]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.akorda.kz/ru/legal_acts/decrees/o-prisvoenii-zvaniya-halyk-kaharmany-nazarbaevu-na |title=Указ Президента Республики Казахстан от 20 марта 2019 года № 1 "О присвоении звания "Халық Қаhарманы" Назарбаеву Н. А."|access-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807120128/http://www.akorda.kz/ru/legal_acts/decrees/o-prisvoenii-zvaniya-halyk-kaharmany-nazarbaevu-na|archive-date=7 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
*[[File:OrdenNazar.png|70px]] Collar of the [[Order of Nazarbayev|Order of the First President of Kazakhstan – Leader of the Nation Nursultan Nazarbayev]]
*[[File:MedalAstana.png|70px]] Recipient of the Medal "Astana"
*[[File:Medal10RK.png|70px]] Recipient of the Medal for "10 Years of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan"
*[[File:Medal10VSRK.png|70px]] Recipient of the Medal for "10th Anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan"
*[[File:Medal10Konstitution.png|70px]] Recipient of the Medal for "10th Anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan"
*[[File:Medal100JDRK.png|70px]] Recipient of the Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Railway of Kazakhstan"
*[[File:Medal10Parlm.png|70px]] Recipient of the Medal for "10 Years of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan"
*[[File:Medal50Celina.png|70px]] Recipient of the Medal for "50 Years of the Virgin Lands"
*[[File:RUS Medal 60 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945 ribbon.svg|70px]] Recipient of the [[Jubilee Medal "60 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"]]
*[[File:Medal10Astana.png|70px]] Recipient of the [[Medal "10 years of Astana"|Medal for "10 Years of the City of Astana"]]
*[[File:Medal20RK.png|70px]] Recipient of the [[Medal "20 Years of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan"|Medal for "20 Years of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan"]]
*[[File:Decoration without ribbon - en.svg|70px]] Algys Order<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.inform.kz/en/nursultan-nazarbayev-awarded-algys-order_a3738052/amp|title=Nursultan Nazarbayev awarded Algys Order|website=inform.kz|access-date=4 February 2021|archive-date=29 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129120400/https://www.inform.kz/en/nursultan-nazarbayev-awarded-algys-order_a3738052/amp|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Soviet Union===
[[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]]
*[[File:SU Order of the Red Banner of Labour ribbon.svg|70px]] Recipient of the [[Order of the Red Banner of Labour]]
*[[File:SU Order of the Badge of Honour ribbon.svg|70px]] Recipient of the [[Order of the Badge of Honour]]
*[[File:SU Medal For the Development of Virgin Lands ribbon.svg|70px]] Recipient of the [[Medal "For the Development of Virgin Lands"]]
*[[File:SU Medal 70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR ribbon.svg|70px]] Recipient of the [[Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"]]
[[File:Stamps of Kazakhstan, 2013-47.jpg|thumb|Postage stamp with Nazarbayev, [[Barack Obama]] and [[Dmitry Medvedev]]]]

===Russian Federation===
*{{flag|Russia}}:
**[[File:OOSA.jpg|70px]] Knight of the [[Order of St. Andrew|Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://document.kremlin.ru/doc.asp?ID=073521 |title=Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 12 октября 1998 года № 1212 "О награждении орденом Святого апостола Андрея Первозванного Назарбаева Н. А." |access-date=6 December 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029220450/http://document.kremlin.ru/doc.asp?ID=073521|archive-date=29 October 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>
**[[File:Order of Alexander Nevsky 2010 ribbon.svg|70px]] Recipient of the [[Order of Alexander Nevsky]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Document/View/0001201506080037 |title=Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 8 июня 2015 года № 290 "О награждении орденом Александра Невского Назарбаева Н. А." |access-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808152059/http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Document/View/0001201506080037 |archive-date=8 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
**[[File:RUS Medal In Commemoration of the 1000th Anniversary of Kazan ribbon.svg|70px]] Recipient of the [[Medal "In Commemoration of the 1000th Anniversary of Kazan"]]
**[[File:RUS Medal In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg ribbon.svg|70px]] Recipient of the [[Medal "In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg"]]
**[[File:Ribbon Medal 850 Moscow.png|70px]] Recipient of the [[Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow"]]
*{{flag|Chechnya}}:
**[[File:Медаль «Умар Димаев» (лента).png|70px]] Recipient of the Order of Akhmad Kadyrov
*{{flag|Tatarstan}}:
**[[File:Орден за заслуги перед Республикой Татарстан.png|70px]] Recipient of the Order "For Merits to the Fatherland"<ref>{{cite web |title=Встреча с Президентом Республики Татарстан Рустамом Миннихановым |url=http://www.akorda.kz/ru/events/akorda_news/meetings_and_receptions/vstrecha-s-prezidentom-respubliki-tatarstan-rustamom-minnihanovym-1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808153316/http://www.akorda.kz/ru/events/akorda_news/meetings_and_receptions/vstrecha-s-prezidentom-respubliki-tatarstan-rustamom-minnihanovym-1 |archive-date=8 August 2019 |access-date=8 August 2019}}</ref>

===Foreign awards===
*{{flag|Afghanistan|2013}}:
**[[File:Ghazi Amanullah Khan Medal (Afghanistan) - ribbon bar.png|70px]] Recipient of the [[Amir Amanullah Khan Award]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.nomad.su/?a=3-201507100029|title=Участие во встрече с лидерами БРИКС|access-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808152537/http://nomad.su/?a=3-201507100029|archive-date=8 August 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flag|Austria}}:
**[[File:AUT Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria - 1st Class BAR.svg|70px]] Grand Star of the [[Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria]]
*{{flag|Azerbaijan}}:
**[[File:AZ Heydar Aliyev Order ribbon.png|70px]] [[Heydar Aliyev Order]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://ru.president.az/articles/23243|title=Распоряжение Президента Азербайджанской Республики о награждении Нурсултана Назарбаева орденом "Гейдар Алиев"|access-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171008143228/http://ru.president.az/articles/23243|archive-date=8 October 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flag|Belarus}}:
**[[File:By-order friendship of nations rib.png|70px]] Recipient of the [[Order of the Friendship of Peoples (Belarus)|Order of Friendship of Peoples]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.pravo.by/document/?guid=12551&p0=P31500250&p1=1|title=Указ Президента Республики Беларусь от 19 июня 2015 года № 250 "О награждении"|access-date=8 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306044850/http://www.pravo.by/document/?guid=12551&p0=P31500250&p1=1|archive-date=6 March 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.nomad.su/?a=3-201506220038 |title=Лукашенко наградил Назарбаева орденом Дружбы народов |access-date=8 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808152422/http://nomad.su/?a=3-201506220038 |archive-date=8 August 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*{{flag|Belgium}}:
**[[File:BEL - Order of Leopold - Grand Cordon bar.svg|70px]] Grand Cordon of the [[Order of Leopold (Belgium)|Order of Leopold]]
*{{flag|China}}:
**[[File:Decoration without ribbon - en.svg|70px]] Recipient of the [[Friendship Medal (China)|Order of Friendship]] (28 April 2019)<ref>{{cite web |title=Си Цзиньпин наградил Назарбаева Орденом дружбы |url=https://tass.ru/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/6386419 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190429135706/https://tass.ru/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/6386419 |archive-date=29 April 2019 |access-date=8 August 2019}}</ref><ref>[http://www.akorda.kz/en/events/international_community/foreign_visits/nursultan-nazarbayev-awarded-the-order-of-friendship-of-the-peoples-republic-of-china#2 Nursultan Nazarbayev awarded the Order of Friendship of the People's Republic of China] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190513014445/http://www.akorda.kz/en/events/international_community/foreign_visits/nursultan-nazarbayev-awarded-the-order-of-friendship-of-the-peoples-republic-of-china#2|date=13 May 2019}}, Official Site of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan 28 April 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.</ref>
*{{flag|Croatia}}:
**[[File:Ribbon of an order of king Tomislav.png|70px]] Grand Cross of the [[Grand Order of King Tomislav]]
*{{flag|Egypt}}:
**[[File:EGY Order of the Nile - Grand Cordon BAR.svg|70px]] Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Nile]]
*{{flag|Estonia}}:
**[[File:EST Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana - 1st Class BAR.svg|70px]] First Class with Collar of the [[Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana]]
*{{flag|Finland}}:
**[[File:FIN Order of the White Rose Grand Cross BAR.svg|70px]] Grand Cross with Collar of the [[Order of the White Rose of Finland]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Valkoisen Ruusun ritarikunnan suurristin ketjuineen ulkomaalaiset saajat |publisher=Suomen Valkoisen Ruusun ja Suomen Leijonan ritarikunnat |url= http://www.ritarikunnat.fi/index.php/fi/64-ritarikunnat/palkitut/216-suomen-valkoisen-ruusun-ritarikunnan-suurristin-ketjuineen-saajat-ulkomaalaiset |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927002640/http://www.ritarikunnat.fi/index.php/fi/64-ritarikunnat/palkitut/216-suomen-valkoisen-ruusun-ritarikunnan-suurristin-ketjuineen-saajat-ulkomaalaiset |archive-date=27 September 2020 |language=fi }}</ref>
**[[File:FIN Order of the Lion of Finland 1Class BAR.svg|70px]] Commander Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Lion of Finland]]
*{{flag|France}}:
**[[File:Legion Honneur GC ribbon.svg|70px]] Grand Cross of the [[Légion d'honneur|Order of Legion of Honour]]
*{{flag|Greece}}:
**[[File:GRE Order Redeemer 1Class.svg|70px]] Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Redeemer]]
*{{flag|Hungary}}:
**[[File:HUN Order of Merit of the Hungarian Rep (civ) 1class Collar BAR.svg|70px]] Grand Cross with Chair of the [[Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary]]
*{{flag|Italy}}:
**[[File:ITA OMRI 2001 GC-GCord BAR.svg|70px]] Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the [[Order of Merit of the Italian Republic]]
*{{flag|Japan}}:
**[[File:JPN Daikun'i kikkasho BAR.svg|70px]] Grand Cordon of the [[Order of the Chrysanthemum]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.embkazjp.org/additionalpages/special25062008.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091115153311/http://www.embkazjp.org/additionalpages/special25062008.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=15 November 2009|title=The Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Japan|date=15 November 2009}}</ref>
*{{flag|Kyrgyzstan}}:
**[[File:KRG Order Manas.png|70px]] Golden Order in honor of the 1000th anniversary of [[Epic of Manas|Manas]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://old-online.adviser.kg/show.fwx|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120716224700/http://old-online.adviser.kg/show.fwx?Regnom=10603|title=УКАЗ ПРЕЗ. КР "О ВРУЧЕНИИ ПАМЯТНОГО ЗОЛОТОГО ОРДЕНА "МАНАС-1000" И ПАМЯТНОЙ..."|archive-date=16 July 2012|access-date=22 August 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* {{flag|Latvia}}:
**[[File:LVA Order of the Three Stars - Commander BAR.svg|70px]] Commander Grand Cross with Chain of the [[Order of the Three Stars]]<ref>{{cite web |title=President of the Latvian Republic Valdis Zatlers Pays His First Official Visit to Kazakhstan at President Nursultan Nazarbayev' s Invitation – Official site of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan|url=http://www.akorda.kz/en/events/president-of-the-latvian-republic-valdis-zatlers-pays-his-first-official-visit-to-kazakhstan-at-president-nursultan-nazarbayev-s-invitation|website=Akorda.kz|access-date=27 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327113437/http://www.akorda.kz/en/events/president-of-the-latvian-republic-valdis-zatlers-pays-his-first-official-visit-to-kazakhstan-at-president-nursultan-nazarbayev-s-invitation |archive-date=27 March 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flag|Lithuania}}:
**[[File:LTU Order of Vytautas the Great - Grand Cross BAR.svg|70px]] 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] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140419212238/http://www.lrp.lt/lt/prezidento_veikla/apdovanojimai/apdovanojimai_256/p40.html |date=19 April 2014 }}, Lithuanian Orders searching form</ref>
*{{flag|Luxembourg}}:
**[[File:Ordre de la couronne de Chene GC ribbon.svg|70px]] Grand Cross of the [[Order of the Oak Crown]]
*{{flag|Monaco}}:
**[[File:MCO Order of Saint-Charles - Grand Cross BAR.svg|70px]] Grand Cross of the [[Order of Saint-Charles]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.legimonaco.mc/Dataweb/jourmon.nsf/9bf97b0da6308cfdc12568c40037f873/ea640f36575810b7c1257bf90051e392!OpenDocument |title=Ordonnance Souveraine n° 4.491 du 27 septembre 2013 portant élévation dans l'Ordre de Saint-Charles |access-date=8 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190808151952/https://www.legimonaco.mc/Dataweb/jourmon.nsf/9bf97b0da6308cfdc12568c40037f873/ea640f36575810b7c1257bf90051e392!OpenDocument |archive-date=8 August 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
*{{flag|Organization of Turkic States}}:
**[[File:Supreme Order of Turkic World ribbon bar.svg|70px]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Nursultan Nazarbayev awarded Supreme Order of the Turkic World |url=https://assembly.kz/en/news/nursultan-nazarbayev-awarded-supreme-order-of-the-turkic-world/ |access-date=9 November 2022 |work=Assembly of people of Kazakhstan |date=15 October 2019 |language=en}}</ref> [[Supreme Order of Turkic World]]
*{{flag|Poland}}:
**[[File:POL Order Orła Białego BAR.svg|70px]] Knight of the [[Order of the White Eagle (Poland)|Order of the White Eagle]]
*{{flag|Qatar}}:
**[[File:Order of Independence (Qatar) - ribbon bar.gif|70px]] Collar of the Order of Independence
*{{flag|Romania}}:
**[[File:Order of the Star of Romania - Ribbon bar.svg|70px]] Collar of the [[Order of the Star of Romania]]
*{{flag|Serbia}}:
**[[File:Order of the Republic of Serbia - 1st Class - ribbon bar.png|70px]] First Class of the [[Order of the Republic of Serbia]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://echo-yk.kz/news/7316-tnikolich-vruchil-nnazarbaevu-orden-respubliki-serbiya.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20151113015405/http://echo-yk.kz/news/7316-tnikolich-vruchil-nnazarbaevu-orden-respubliki-serbiya.html|title=Т.Николич вручил Н.Назарбаеву Орден Республики Сербия » "ЭХО Усть-Каменогорска" Молодежный информационный портал|archive-date=13 November 2015|access-date=8 August 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Встреча с Президентом Республики Сербия Александром Вучичем |url=http://www.akorda.kz/ru/events/akorda_news/meetings_and_receptions/vstrecha-s-prezidentom-respubliki-serbiya-aleksandrom-vuchichem#/upload/anounces/c48805676c2b2cb9fd632d254bfc96db.JPG |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807130558/http://www.akorda.kz/ru/events/akorda_news/meetings_and_receptions/vstrecha-s-prezidentom-respubliki-serbiya-aleksandrom-vuchichem#/upload/anounces/c48805676c2b2cb9fd632d254bfc96db.JPG |archive-date=7 August 2019 |access-date=8 August 2019}}</ref>
*{{flag|Slovakia}}:
**[[File:SVK Rad Bieleho Dvojkriza 1 triedy BAR.svg|70px]] First Class of the [[Order of the White Double Cross]] (2007)<ref>Slovak republic website, [http://www.slovak-republic.org/symbols/honours/ State honours] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413004835/http://www.slovak-republic.org/symbols/honours/|date=13 April 2016 }}: 1st Class in 2007 (click on "Holders of the Order of the 1st Class White Double Cross" to see the holders' table)</ref>
*{{flag|South Korea}}:
**[[File:Grand Order of Mugunghwa (South Korea) - ribbon bar.svg|70px]] Recipient of the [[Grand Order of Mugunghwa]]
*{{flag|Spain}}:
**[[File:Order of Isabella the Catholic - Sash of Collar.svg|70px]] Knight of the Collar of the [[Order of Isabella the Catholic]] (23 June 2017)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2017-7271|title=Spanish Official Journal. Royal Decree 677/2017, 23 june|access-date=26 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107055228/https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2017-7271|archive-date=7 November 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
*{{flag|Tajikistan}}:
**[[File:Order Ismoili Somoni Rib.png|70px]] Recipient of the [[Order of Ismoili Somoni]]
*{{flag|Turkey}}:
**[[File:Order of the State of Republic of Turkey.png|70px]] 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) |access-date=21 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322043051/http://www.tccb.gov.tr/sayfa/etkinlikler/konuk/fotograf/2009-10-22/K-20091022-kazakistan-20.jpg |archive-date=22 March 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref>
*{{flag|Ukraine}}:
**[[File:Order of Freedom of Ukraine.png|70px]] Member of the [[Order of Liberty (Ukraine)|Order of Liberty]]
**[[File:Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise 1st 2nd and 3rd Class of Ukraine.png|70px]] First Class of the [[Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise]]
*{{flag|United Arab Emirates}}:
**[[File:Ribbon bar of the Order of Zayed.svg|70px]] Collar of the [[Order of Zayed]]
*{{flag|United Kingdom}}:
**[[File:UK Order St-Michael St-George ribbon.svg|70px]] Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the [[Order of St Michael and St George]]
*{{flag|Uzbekistan}}:
**[[File:Goldel Medal of Uzbekistan.gif|70px]] Recipient of the Gold Medal of Uzbekistan

===Other===
* [[Jordan]]: A street in [[Amman]] is named after him.
* [[World Turks Qurultai]]: Turk El Ata (Spiritual Leader of the Turkic People).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://qurultai.org/en/about-us/declaration/|title=Declaration|publisher=qurultai.org|language=ru|access-date=9 July 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171105041618/http://qurultai.org/en/about-us/declaration/|archive-date=5 November 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Russia]]: A street in the central part of [[Kazan]] was named after him.
* [[Kazakhstan]]: The capital of Kazakhstan, [[Astana]], was named after him following his resignation in 2019. In September 2022 it reverted to its original name, Astana.

==In popular culture==
Nazarbayev is portrayed by [[Romanians|Romanian]] [[actor]] Dani Popescu in the 2020 satirical film [[Borat Subsequent Moviefilm|''Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan'']].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Reilly |first=Dan |date=22 October 2020 |title=Who's Who in ''Borat 2'': A Guide to Every Notable Cameo |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/whos-who-in-borat-2-a-guide-to-every-notable-cameo.html |access-date=22 October 2020 |website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]] |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Ebiri |first=Bilge |date=21 October 2020 |title=We Should Be Glad Borat Still Exists |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/borat-2-review-subsequent-moviefilm-with-sacha-baron-cohen.html |access-date=22 October 2020 |website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]] |language=en-us}}</ref>

In 2021, Nazarbayev was interviewed by [[Oliver Stone]] in an eight-part [[hagiography|hagiographic]] documentary titled ''Qazaq: History of the Golden Man''.<ref>{{cite web | last=Roth | first=Andrew | title=Oliver Stone derided for film about 'modest' former Kazakh president | website=the Guardian | date=11 July 2021 | url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/11/oliver-stone-film-ex-kazakhstan-president-nursultan-nazabayev | access-date=1 March 2023}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Acmetal]]
* [[Counter-terrorism in Kazakhstan]]
* [[Politics of Kazakhstan]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
'''Citations'''
{{reflist}}

'''Sources'''
*{{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-inline}}

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{{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]]}}
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{{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=[[Yerik Asanbayev]]}}
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{{s-new|office|rows=2}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[President of Kazakhstan]]|years=1991–2019}}
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|-
{{s-ttl|title=Chairman of the [[Security Council of Kazakhstan]]|years=1991–2022}}
|-
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Gennady Kolbin]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=First Secretary of the Central Committee of the [[Communist Party of Kazakhstan]]|years=1989–1991}}
{{s-non|reason=Party dissolved}}
{{s-end}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Nazarbayev, Nursultan}}
[[Category:Nursultan Nazarbayev| ]]
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[[Category:Members of the Central Committee of the 28th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union]]
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[[Category:Collars of the Order of Isabella the Catholic]]
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[[Category:Heroes of Kazakhstan]]
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[[Category:Kazakhstani nationalists]]
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