kids encyclopedia robot

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
"Tokayev" redirects here. For other people with the name, see Tokayev (disambiguation).
In this article, the patronymic is Kemeluly and the family name is Tokayev.
Quick facts for kids
His Excellency
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Қасым-Жомарт Тоқаев
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in January 2025 (cropped).jpg
Tokayev in 2025
2nd President of Kazakhstan
Assumed office
12 June 2019
Prime Minister Asqar Mamin
Alihan Smaiylov
Roman Sklyar (acting)
Oljas Bektenov
Preceded by Nursultan Nazarbayev
Chairman of the Security Council
Assumed office
5 January 2022
Preceded by Nursultan Nazarbayev
Chairman of the Assembly of People
Assumed office
28 April 2021
Preceded by Nursultan Nazarbayev
4th Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
In office
1 October 1999 – 28 January 2002
President Nursultan Nazarbayev
First Deputy Aleksandr Pavlov
Daniyal Akhmetov
Preceded by Nurlan Balgimbayev
Succeeded by Imangali Tasmagambetov
Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
In office
15 March 1999 – 1 October 1999
Serving with Oraz Jandosov
Prime Minister Nurlan Balgimbayev
State Secretary of Kazakhstan
In office
29 January 2002 – 13 June 2003
President Nursultan Nazarbayev
Preceded by Abish Kekilbayev
Succeeded by Imangali Tasmagambetov
Chairman of Amanat
In office
28 January 2022 – 26 April 2022
Preceded by Nursultan Nazarbayev
Succeeded by Erlan Qoşanov
Appointed by Nursultan Nazarbayev
Personal details
Born
Kassym-Zhomart Kemelevich Tokayev

(1953-05-17) 17 May 1953 (age 72)
Alma-Ata, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
(now Almaty, Kazakhstan)
Political party Independent (1991–1999, 2022–present)
Other political
affiliations		 CPSU (before 1991)
Amanat (1999–2022)
Spouse
Nadezhda Tokayeva
​
​
(m. 1980; div. 2020)​
Children 1
Education Moscow State Institute of International Relations
Beijing Language and Culture University
Signature

Kassym-Jomart Kemeluly Tokayev (born 17 May 1953) is a politician and diplomat from Kazakhstan. He has been the second president of Kazakhstan since 2019. Before becoming president, he held many important jobs. He was the Prime Minister and later the Chairman of the Senate.

Tokayev also worked for the United Nations as the Director-General of its office in Geneva, Switzerland. This made him a very experienced leader on the world stage.

In March 2019, the first president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, resigned. Tokayev, as the Chairman of the Senate, became the acting president. He then won a presidential election in June 2019. As president, he has focused on making changes to the country's economy and government.

In January 2022, large protests happened in Kazakhstan. Tokayev declared a state of emergency and made big changes in the government. He was re-elected in November 2022. His presidency focuses on modernizing the country and balancing relationships with other nations like Russia, China, and countries in the West.

Early Life and School

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was born in Alma-Ata (now called Almaty), Kazakhstan. His father, Kemel Tokayev, was a famous writer and a World War II veteran. His mother, Turar Shabarbayeva, worked at a language university.

In 1970, Tokayev went to the Moscow State Institute of International Relations. There, he studied the Mandarin Chinese language. He also spent six months training at the Soviet embassy in China. This education prepared him for a career as a diplomat.

Early Career as a Diplomat

After finishing his studies in 1975, Tokayev started working for the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His first job was at the Soviet Embassy in Singapore. He later worked at the Soviet embassy in Beijing, China, for many years.

When Kazakhstan became an independent country in 1991, Tokayev joined its new foreign service. He quickly became a Deputy Foreign Minister. By 1994, he was appointed as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He was in charge of Kazakhstan's relationships with other countries.

Political Career

Prime Minister of Kazakhstan (1999–2002)

Vladimir Putin with Kasymzhomart Tokayev-1
Tokayev with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, 19 January 2000

In October 1999, Tokayev became the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan. As prime minister, he focused on improving the country's economy. He paid special attention to farming, which he saw as very important for Kazakhstan.

Under his leadership, Kazakhstan's economy grew quickly. However, in 2002, he resigned as prime minister. He then returned to his role as Minister of Foreign Affairs and also became the State Secretary.

Foreign Minister and State Secretary

Tokaev
Tokayev in 2006

As Foreign Minister, Tokayev worked hard on the issue of nuclear weapons. He believed in non-proliferation, which means stopping the spread of nuclear weapons. He took part in important international meetings and signed treaties to make Central Asia a nuclear-weapon-free zone.

He also helped Kazakhstan build good relationships with many countries. He followed a "multi-vector" foreign policy. This meant he balanced the country's ties with Russia, China, and Western nations.

Chairman of the Senate

Secretary Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Meet with UN Special Envoy Brahimi (9757147883)
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev with Sergey Lavrov and John Kerry on 13 September 2013

Tokayev served as the Chairman of the Senate of Kazakhstan two times. His first term was from 2007 to 2011. He was elected to the position again in 2013 and served until 2019. The Senate is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Kazakhstan. As its chairman, he was one of the most powerful politicians in the country.

Working for the United Nations

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Tokayev speaking at the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 1 October 2012

In March 2011, Tokayev was given a major role at the United Nations. He became the Director-General of the UN Office at Geneva. He was the first person from Asia to hold this important job.

In this role, he was in charge of a key center for international diplomacy. He worked on issues like peace, security, and human rights. He served in this position until 2013, when he returned to Kazakhstan to become Chairman of the Senate again.

Presidency

Becoming President

On 19 March 2019, President Nursultan Nazarbayev announced he was resigning. According to the constitution, the Chairman of the Senate takes over. So, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev became the acting president of Kazakhstan.

One of his first actions was to propose renaming the capital city, Astana, to Nur-Sultan to honor the first president. The Parliament approved this change.

2019 Presidential Election

Tokayev called for a new presidential election to be held on 9 June 2019. He said it was important for the people to choose their leader to avoid political uncertainty. He ran as the candidate for the ruling Nur Otan party and won the election with 71% of the vote. He was officially sworn in as president on 12 June 2019.

Early Presidency (2019–2022)

As president, Tokayev promised to serve all citizens fairly. He focused on continuing the policies of his predecessor while also introducing his own reforms. He wanted to create a "listening state" that pays attention to the needs of its people.

He introduced several reforms, including increasing the minimum wage and providing debt relief for some citizens. He also worked on improving education and healthcare. In foreign policy, he continued to balance Kazakhstan's relationships with major world powers.

Abolishing the Death Penalty

A major step during his presidency was the abolition of the death penalty. In 2020, Kazakhstan signed an international agreement to end capital punishment. In January 2021, Tokayev signed the law that officially abolished the death penalty in the country.

2022 Unrest and "New Kazakhstan"

Президентская резиденция в Алматы после захвата протестующим
The President's Residence in Almaty after it was stormed during the unrest.

In January 2022, protests started over a rise in fuel prices. The protests quickly grew and spread across the country. In response, Tokayev declared a state of emergency. He also took over as head of the Security Council, a position previously held by Nursultan Nazarbayev.

After the unrest, Tokayev announced a plan for a "New Kazakhstan". He proposed major constitutional reforms to reduce the president's power and give more authority to the parliament. These changes were approved in a referendum in June 2022. One of the key changes was renaming the capital back to Astana.

2022 Presidential Election

Tokayev called for another snap presidential election in November 2022. He ran as an independent candidate and won with over 81% of the vote. This gave him a new mandate to continue his reforms. His new term as president is for seven years and is non-renewable, meaning he can only serve one term.

Foreign Policy

Map of the international presidential trips made by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Map of the international presidential trips made by Tokayev
Official welcome ceremony was held for President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev 13
Tokayev with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on 24 August 2022

Tokayev has continued Kazakhstan's "multi-vector" foreign policy. This means he works to have good relationships with all major global powers, including Russia, China, and the United States. He has stated that Kazakhstan is a neutral country that is committed to international law.

After the 2022 conflict in Ukraine, Tokayev stated that Kazakhstan respects Ukraine's territorial integrity. He also said Kazakhstan would follow international sanctions against Russia. He has worked to strengthen ties with other countries in Central Asia, Europe, and the Middle East.

Personal Life

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is divorced and has one son, Timur. He is fluent in several languages, including Kazakh, Russian, English, and Chinese. For 13 years, he was the president of Kazakhstan's Table Tennis Federation. He is known for not celebrating his birthday, as it was not a tradition in his family.

Images for kids

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Kasim-Yomart Tokáev para niños

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.