Nursultan Nazarbayev facts for kids
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev (born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician. He was the very first President of Kazakhstan, leading the country from its independence in 1991 until he stepped down in 2019. He also served as the Chairman of the Security Council of Kazakhstan for many years. Nazarbayev was one of the world's longest-serving non-royal leaders, guiding Kazakhstan for almost three decades. During his time, he held a lot of power and made many important decisions for the country.
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Early Life
Nursultan Nazarbayev was born in Chemolgan, a small town near Almaty, in 1940. At that time, Kazakhstan was part of the Soviet Union. His parents, Ábish and Aljan Nazarbayeva, were not wealthy. His father worked as a laborer. When the Soviet government took over farmlands in the 1930s, his family lived a nomadic life in the mountains for a while. Their family followed the Sunni Islam religion.
After World War II, his family returned to Chemolgan. In 1948, Nazarbayev started school and began learning the Russian language. He lived with his uncle for a short time because his parents didn't have a home there yet. He later chose to live in the part of Chemolgan where mostly Russians lived, so he could become very good at speaking Russian. Even though he did well in school, his classes were stopped in 1957 due to a lack of students. He was then sent to a boarding school in Kaskelen.
After school, Nazarbayev received a scholarship to study at the Karaganda Steel Mill in Temirtau. He also trained at a steel plant in Ukraine. By the age of 20, he was earning a good salary doing difficult and dangerous work in the steel factory. On 25 August 1962, he married Sara Nazarbayeva, who worked at the same steel mill. They had three daughters: Dariga (born 1963), Dinara (born 1967), and Aliya (born 1980).
On 15 November 1962, Nazarbayev joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He became an important member of the Young Communist League (Komsomol). He worked full-time for the party while also studying at the Karagandy Polytechnic Institute. In 1972, he became the secretary of the Communist Party Committee at the Karaganda Metallurgical Kombinat. Four years later, he became the Second Secretary of the Karaganda Regional Party Committee. In his role, he helped with legal issues, logistics, and worker problems. He realized that the Soviet system had many issues, like poor infrastructure and overworked employees.
Political Journey
Nazarbayev's political career began in 1962 when he joined the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. He quickly rose through the ranks. In 1984, he was appointed as the Prime Minister of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. By 1989, he became the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan.
In 1990, Nazarbayev was elected as Kazakhstan's first president by the Supreme Soviet. He played a key role in stopping the 1991 attempt by some Soviet leaders to take over the government. This event eventually led to the end of the Soviet Union.
Leading Kazakhstan
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Nazarbayev led Kazakhstan for a long time. In 1995, he gained more power when a public vote extended his presidency until 2000. Another vote in August of that year approved a new Constitution of Kazakhstan. This new constitution gave the president much more authority.
He was re-elected several times. In 1999, he was elected for what was called his first official term. Later, a change in the constitution in 2007 allowed him to run for president without term limits. This meant he could be re-elected in 2011 and 2015. In 2018, the Parliament also allowed him to lead the Security Council for life.
During his time as president, Kazakhstan's economy grew quickly in the 2000s. This was thanks to high oil prices and new market-focused changes. Kazakhstan became an important economic country in Central Asia. Foreign companies invested a lot of money, which helped modernize industries and build new infrastructure.
Nazarbayev also focused on good relationships with other powerful countries. He helped Kazakhstan join important groups like the Eurasian Economic Union and the World Trade Organization. He played a big part in reducing nuclear weapons by giving up Kazakhstan's nuclear arsenal. He also closed the Semipalatinsk Test Site, a place where nuclear tests were done.
However, there were also challenges. There were problems with corruption and favoritism linked to Nazarbayev and his family. This made it hard for the country to be open and fair. Kazakhstan also faced economic difficulties, like the 2007–2008 financial crisis, which caused prices to rise.
In March 2019, Nazarbayev stepped down as president after some public protests. His close ally, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, became the new president. Tokayev won the next election in June 2019. Nazarbayev was protected from legal action until 2022, when a new constitutional vote removed these special protections. He continued to lead the Assembly of People of Kazakhstan and Nur Otan political party until 2021. He was also the chairman of the Security Council of Kazakhstan until he was removed from that role in 2022. He was an honorary member of the Senate of Kazakhstan until 2023.
In November 2019, Nazarbayev was named the Honorary Chair of the Central Asian Consultative Meeting. This was announced at a meeting in Tashkent.
Family and Personal Life
Nursultan Nazarbayev is a Muslim. He has said that his spiritual beliefs are based on the ideas of Abai Qunanbaiuly, a famous Kazakh poet. Nazarbayev believes Abai's "Words of Wisdom" helped him build a modern Kazakhstan after the Soviet Union ended.
He is married to Sara Alpysqyzy Nazarbayeva. They have three daughters: Dariga, Dinara, and Aliya. His daughter Aliya was married to Aidar Akayev, the son of the former President of Kyrgyzstan, Askar Akayev.
Nazarbayev grew up in the Soviet Union and speaks both Kazakh and Russian fluently. He also understands English. He has two brothers, Satybaldy and Bolat, and one sister named Anip. In August 2020, his grandson, Aisultan, sadly passed away in London.
In June 2020, it was reported that Nazarbayev had tested positive for COVID-19. He went into isolation and worked from home. By July 2020, he had recovered. He later mentioned that a group of Russian doctors helped him recover.
In an interview in October 2021, Nazarbayev shared that he had a spine illness in 2011. He had surgery for it, and he said this experience influenced his decision to eventually resign from the presidency. In January 2023, he had a successful heart operation in Astana.
He gave his last name to his grandchildren: Aisultan Nazarbayev (1990-2020) and Nabi Nazarbayev (born 2008).
Awards and Recognition
From Kazakhstan
Collar of the Order of the Golden Eagle
Collar of the Order of the First President of Kazakhstan – Leader of the Nation Nursultan Nazarbayev
Medal "Astana"
Medal for "10 Years of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan"
Medal for "10th Anniversary of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan"
Medal for "10th Anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan"
Medal "In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Railway of Kazakhstan"
Medal for "10 Years of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan"
Medal for "50 Years of the Virgin Lands"
Jubilee Medal "60 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945"
Medal for "10 Years of the City of Astana"
Medal for "20 Years of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan"
Algys Order
From the Soviet Union
Order of the Red Banner of Labour
Order of the Badge of Honour
Medal "For the Development of Virgin Lands"
Jubilee Medal "70 Years of the Armed Forces of the USSR"
From Russia
Russia:
Knight of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle the First-Called
Order of Alexander Nevsky
Medal "In Commemoration of the 1000th Anniversary of Kazan"
Medal "In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg"
Medal "In Commemoration of the 850th Anniversary of Moscow"
Chechnya:
Order of Akhmad Kadyrov
Tatarstan:
Order "For Merits to the Fatherland"
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From Other Countries
Afghanistan:
Amir Amanullah Khan Award
Austria:
Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria
Azerbaijan:
Heydar Aliyev Order
Belarus:
Order of Friendship of Peoples
Belgium:
Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold
China:
- Order of Friendship (28 April 2019)
Croatia:
Grand Cross of the Grand Order of King Tomislav
Egypt:
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Nile
Estonia:
First Class with Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana
Finland:
Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of the White Rose of Finland
Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Lion of Finland
France:
Grand Cross of the Order of Legion of Honour
Greece:
Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer
Hungary:
Grand Cross with Chair of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary
Italy:
Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Japan:
Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum
Kyrgyzstan:
Golden Order in honor of the 1000th anniversary of Manas
Latvia:
Commander Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of the Three Stars
Lithuania:
Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great (5 May 2000)
Luxembourg:
Grand Cross of the Order of the Oak Crown
Monaco:
Grand Cross of the Order of Saint-Charles
Organization of Turkic States:
Supreme Order of Turkic World
Poland:
Knight of the Order of the White Eagle
Qatar:
Collar of the Order of Independence
Romania:
Collar of the Order of the Star of Romania
Serbia:
First Class of the Order of the Republic of Serbia
Slovakia:
First Class of the Order of the White Double Cross (2007)
South Korea:
Grand Order of Mugunghwa
Spain:
Knight of the Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (23 June 2017)
Tajikistan:
Order of Ismoili Somoni
Turkey:
First Class of the Order of the State of Republic of Turkey (22 October 2009)
Ukraine:
Member of the Order of Liberty
First Class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise
United Arab Emirates:
Collar of the Order of Zayed
United Kingdom:
Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Uzbekistan:
Gold Medal of Uzbekistan
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Other Recognitions
- Jordan: A street in Amman is named after him.
- World Turks Qurultai: Turk El Ata (Spiritual Leader of the Turkic People).
- Russia: A street in the central part of Kazan was named after him.
- Kazakhstan: The capital of Kazakhstan, Astana, was named after him after he resigned in 2019. In September 2022, it went back to its original name, Astana.
Images for kids
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Nazarbayev holding a speech in 2012
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Nazarbayev (front row, second from left) at the signing of the Alma-Ata Protocol, 21 December 1991
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Nazarbayev (three rows from left) at the 1992 World Economic Forum chaired by Henry Kissinger in Davos
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1993 Kazakh postage stamp of Nazarbayev
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Postage stamp with Nazarbayev, Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev
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Postage stamp with Nazarbayev and his wife
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Kazakhstan 2050 Strategy logo
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Painting of Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2014
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Nursultan Nazarbayev street, Amman
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Nazarbayev in 2021
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See also
- Government of Kazakhstan
- List of national leaders
- Politics of Kazakhstan
