Erlan Karin has been appointed Vice President of Kazakhstan.

Erlan Karin has been appointed Vice President of Kazakhstan. The corresponding decree was signed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, as reported by Akorda.

Karin's candidacy was previously proposed by Tokayev for approval by the Kurultai (Kazakhstan's parliament). At a parliamentary session on August 31, his appointment was supported by a majority of deputies: 141 out of 145 votes.

The position of Vice President was created in Kazakhstan following the adoption of the new Constitution. The Vice President is appointed by the head of state with the consent of the Kurultai. Their duties include representing the President in interactions with Parliament, the government, and other government bodies. In the event of the early termination of the President's powers, these duties are transferred to the Vice President.

The initiative to establish the office of Vice President and enshrine it in the Constitution was put forward by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in January 2026. At the time, the President of Kazakhstan stated: "The position of Vice President exists in a number of countries." In our case, the establishment of this position will stabilize the process of governing the state and will also bring final clarity to the power hierarchy."

Yerlan Karin was born in 1976 in the Turkestan region. At various points in his career, he worked as a secondary school teacher, director of the Central Asian Agency for Political Research, secretary of the former ruling Nur Otan party, and head of the Kazakhstan Republican Television and Radio Corporation.

Since 2019, Karin has held the posts of assistant, state secretary, and state adviser to the head of state. Since June 2026, he has been the first deputy head of the presidential administration of Kazakhstan.