Tokayev forbids Nazarbayev from addressing the people on foreign policy issues
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has removed the lifelong political right granted to Nursultan Nazarbayev from the country's Foreign Policy Concept until 2030.
Tokayev revokes Nazarbayev's right to address the people on foreign policy.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has amended the country's Foreign Policy Concept until 2030. The document removed a clause that would have granted Nursultan Nazarbayev the lifelong right to address the people with initiatives on domestic and foreign policy, as well as state security issues.
Nazarbayev was granted such a right as the first head of state "due to his historical mission." In addition, as stated in paragraph 1 of Chapter 7 of the document, the proposed initiatives were subject to mandatory consideration by relevant state bodies and officials.
Nursultan Nazarbayev served as President of Kazakhstan from 1991 to 2019. After leaving office, he retained the title of Leader of the Nation (Elbashi), which provided him with lifelong privileges: for example, he could not be held accountable for actions committed in this position and later as the first president.
The Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan in early 2023, following mass unrest in January, annulled the law "On the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan - Elbashi". Nazarbayev and his close relatives were subsequently deprived of many privileges.