Kassym-Jomart Tokayev

Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev (born 17 May 1953) is a Kazakh politician and diplomat who has served as the second president of Kazakhstan since 2019. He previously served as Prime Minister from 1999 to 2002 and as Chairman of the Senate from 2007 to 2011 and again from 2013 to 2019. Tokayev also held the position of Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva from 2011 to 2013.

Born in Alma-Ata (now Almaty), Tokayev studied at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations and later trained at diplomatic institutions in China. He began his career in the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs before joining Kazakhstan's foreign service after independence in 1991. Tokayev twice served as foreign minister, from 1994 to 1999 and 2002 to 2007, as well as state secretary from 2002 to 2003, playing a key role in shaping Kazakhstan's foreign policy and its nuclear disarmament policies.

In March 2019, Tokayev became acting president following the resignation of Nursultan Nazarbayev. In June that year, he won the first round of a snap presidential election as the candidate of the ruling Nur Otan party. Initially aligned with Nazarbayev, Tokayev gradually consolidated power by removing key figures associated with the former president. His presidency has included various economic initiatives and a shift toward political reforms. In January 2022, large-scale protests over fuel prices escalated into violent unrest, prompting Tokayev to declare a state of emergency and request peacekeeping assistance from the CSTO. The subsequent crackdown resulted in casualties and mass arrests. Following the crisis, he distanced himself from Nazarbayev, removed key figures associated with the former leader, and implemented constitutional changes, including reducing presidential terms. In 2022, Tokayev was re-elected in a snap presidential election, winning 81% of the vote in the first round. He ran as an independent candidate with the support of People's Coalition after leaving the Amanat (formerly Nur Otan) party, positioning himself as a reformist. His administration has focused on political restructuring, economic modernization, and maintaining a multi-vector foreign policy, balancing relations with Russia, China, and the West.