Updated by Faith Barbara N Ruhinda at 1519 EAT on Monday 31 August 2026

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

The appointment, announced Monday, makes Karin, who has served as one of Tokayev’s top aides since he became president in 2019, the 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, according to local media reports.

“He has worked in the public administration system 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 Karin has a background in counter-terrorism and has emerged as a key figure in promoting Tokayev’s political vision, 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 seek another seven-year presidential term under the new constitution, according to Kazakhstan’s Supreme Court. His current term ends in 2029. Under Kazakhstan’s basic law, presidents are otherwise limited to a single term in office.

A former Soviet diplomat and senior United Nations official, Tokayev took office in 2019 as the chosen successor to Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan’s founding president, who ruled the country from independence in 1991 until 2019.

Tokayev broke with his predecessor, under whom he had served as prime minister and foreign minister, in 2022 following a wave of nationwide unrest that left hundreds dead. Tokayev described the upheaval as an attempted coup by figures associated with the Nazarbayev era.

Kazakhstan is a major exporter of energy and minerals, including uranium used in nuclear power generation, and maintains close ties with Russia, the West and China.

-Aljzeera

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