Kazakhstan’s Tokayev appoints longtime adviser as vice president

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has appointed longtime adviser Erlan Karin as vice president, the office ‌‌created under a new constitution adopted earlier this year.

The move on Monday makes Karin, who has served as a top ⁠⁠aide to Tokayev since taking over the presidency in 2019, first in line to succeed him as leader of the Central Asian country.

Tokayev described Karin as an experienced public servant with extensive knowledge of state governance, local media reported.

“He has worked in the system of public administration for many years. One can say that he is a person of broad outlook, with rich experience and a true patriot,” Tokayev was quoted as saying.

The 50-year-old has a background in “counter-terrorism” and has ⁠⁠positioned himself as a key figure in promoting Tokayev’s ideology, which he has dubbed “New Kazakhstan”.

Tokayev also proposed reappointing Olzhas Bektenov as prime minister, a position ⁠⁠he has held since 2024.

Both appointments were swiftly approved by parliament, which is dominated ⁠⁠by the pro-Tokayev Adilet party.

Tokayev, 73, ‌‌is eligible to run for another seven-year term as president under the new constitution, according to Kazakhstan’s supreme court. His current term ends in 2029. presidents are otherwise limited to a single term in office under Kazakh basic law.

Tokayev, a ⁠⁠former Soviet diplomat and top United Nations official, took office as the chosen successor of Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan’s founding president, who ruled from 1991 to 2019.

Tokayev broke from ‌‌his predecessor, whom he had served as prime minister and foreign minister, in 2022 after a bout of nationwide unrest that left ‌‌hundreds ‌‌dead and which he cast as a coup attempt by Nazarbayev-era figures.

Kazakhstan is a major exporter of energy and minerals, including uranium for nuclear power, and maintains warm ties with Russia, the West and China.