Professional knowledge and civic responsibility became the determining factors in the choice of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev for the post of the President of Kazakhstan after the resignation of the first head of the republic Nursultan Nazarbayev. Nazarbayev himself told about it in his article "Spiritual Testament of Abai" published on Wednesday, dedicated to the 175th anniversary of Kazakh poet and public figure Abai Kunanbayev.
"Before making a decision on voluntary resignation from the post of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, I long and thoroughly thought about what qualities of a political figure and what knowledge and experience should have a man who in the future will take over the reins of the country," Nazarbayev said.
According to him, from the first days of independence of the country, Tokayev set an example of high civic awareness and honest, responsible service. "I took into account his accumulated solid luggage of skils: his knowledge of both his own country and the outside world, his knowledge of languages and cultures of the East and West, his work as UN Deputy Secretary-General and, of course, his diplomatic services in protecting the interests of the country and positioning Kazakhstan in the global political process. At the same time, I believed in his ability to find a harmonious balance between the ideals of national unity and commitment to universal values", Nazarbayev noted.
On March 19, 2019, the first President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev resigned from his post as head of state. The next day, the former head of the Senate (Upper House of Parliament) Kassym-Jomart Tokayev took the oath of office and took the post of the President. Extraordinary presidential elections were held in Kazakhstan on June 9, 2019, where Tokayev won with 70.96% of the vote. On June 12, his inauguration took place.
At the same time, Nazarbayev retained the position of the Chairman of the Republic's Security Council, the ruling party "Nur Otan" ("Light of the Fatherland"), the member of the Constitutional Council, the Chairman of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan; he has the status of the honorary senator. On July 6 this year, Nursultan Nazarbayev turned 80.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS