President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Қазақстан Республикасының Президенті | |
---|---|
Residence | Ak Orda Presidential Palace |
Appointer | Direct popular vote |
Term length | 5 years, renewable |
Inaugural holder | Nursultan Nazarbayev |
Formation | 24 April 1990 |
Succession | Chairman of the Senate of Kazakhstan |
Website | (in Kazakh) akorda.kz (in English) www.akorda.kz/en |
The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the head of state, commander-in-chief and holder of the highest office within the Republic of Kazakhstan. The presidency was created on 24 April 1990, a year before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The first and, until March 2019, the only President of Kazakhstan was Nursultan Nazarbayev.[1]
None of the presidential elections held in Kazakhstan have been considered free or fair by Western countries or international observers[2] with issues noted including ballot tampering, multiple voting, harassment of opposition candidates and press censorship.