Nursultan Nazarbayev Biography Quotes 13 Report mistakes

Early Life and Education
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev was born on July 6, 1940, in the village of Chemolgan (now Shamalgan) near Almaty in the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. He grew up in a rural, working-class family and came of age in the Soviet system that shaped the opportunities and horizons of his generation. As a young man he trained for industrial work and entered the steel industry, becoming a blast furnace operator at the Karaganda Metallurgical Combine in Temirtau. This practical education, close to heavy industry and workers, would later inform his political language and priorities, especially his focus on industrial development and the welfare of workers in Kazakhstan's vast resource sector.

Rise in Soviet Politics
Nazarbayev joined the Communist Party and advanced through local and regional posts in the Karaganda industrial region, a backbone of the Soviet economy. He developed a reputation as a pragmatic manager who could navigate complex factory politics and deliver production targets. In 1984 he was appointed Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Kazakh SSR, effectively the republic's prime minister. During the reform period under Mikhail Gorbachev, Nazarbayev became the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan in 1989, positioning him as the top political figure in the republic. He worked within the changing Soviet framework while building alliances in Moscow and among republican elites in Almaty.

From Soviet Republic to Independent State
In April 1990, as the Soviet Union loosened its grip, the office of President of the Kazakh SSR was created and Nazarbayev was elected to it by the Supreme Council. After the Soviet Union began to unravel, he steered Kazakhstan toward independence, proclaimed on December 16, 1991. He won the country's first presidential election that month and became the first President of independent Kazakhstan. He sought continuity and stability in a period of extraordinary uncertainty, coordinating with Boris Yeltsin in Russia on post-Soviet arrangements and maintaining relations with other leaders of the newly independent states.

Nation-Building and Capital Relocation
Nazarbayev prioritized building state institutions for a multiethnic country spanning a vast territory. He used the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan to promote interethnic harmony and advanced a carefully balanced language policy. In 1997 he moved the capital from Almaty to Akmola, a strategic decision intended to spur development in the north and symbolically situate the new state at the heart of the steppe. Akmola was renamed Astana in 1998 and became the showcase of his nation-building project, with new government quarters, cultural institutions, and ambitious architecture. He promoted initiatives such as Nazarbayev University and international forums in the capital to anchor Kazakhstan as a modern, outward-looking country.

Energy, Economy, and Institutions
Kazakhstan's oil, gas, and mineral wealth underpinned Nazarbayev's economic strategy. He opened the sector to foreign investment, bringing in major international companies to develop giant fields such as Tengiz and Kashagan. The creation of the Samruk-Kazyna sovereign wealth fund consolidated key state assets and aimed to coordinate strategic development. Economic growth, especially in the 2000s, transformed the urban landscape and raised living standards, although periodic crises, currency devaluations, and questions about governance and transparency persisted. Prominent business figures, including Timur Kulibayev, became influential players in the nexus of state, finance, and energy, reflecting the close ties between political and economic elites.

Foreign Policy and Regional Role
Nazarbayev crafted a multi-vector foreign policy, balancing relations with Russia, China, the United States, and the European Union. He worked closely with Russian leaders, including Boris Yeltsin and later Vladimir Putin, and promoted Eurasian integration ideas that would culminate in the Eurasian Economic Union with Russia and Belarus, joined by additional states in subsequent years. He also expanded partnerships with China, building pipelines and trade links, and engaged with U.S. presidents such as Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. A hallmark of his early leadership was the decision to renounce the nuclear arsenal inherited from the Soviet Union and to close the Semipalatinsk test site. Kazakhstan joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear-weapon state and later hosted the IAEA Low-Enriched Uranium Bank, a move recognized internationally and supported by figures such as U.S. senators Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar. Astana hosted high-profile diplomacy, including OSCE events in 2010 and the Syria talks branded the Astana Process.

Political System and Elections
At home, Nazarbayev consolidated a highly centralized presidential system. He won successive elections in 1999, 2005, 2011, and 2015 by large margins, with observers often noting administrative advantages and constraints on competition. Constitutional changes in the 2000s strengthened the presidency; a 2010 law granted him the status of First President, Leader of the Nation (Elbasy). The ruling party, known for most of his tenure as Nur Otan, dominated parliament and regional administrations. Close associates, including Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Karim Massimov, and Imangali Tasmagambetov, rotated through high offices such as prime minister, foreign minister, or head of the security services, ensuring continuity in policy and control over the machinery of government.

Society, Culture, and Identity
Nazarbayev's state-building project emphasized modernization and a Kazakh identity compatible with the multiethnic character of the country. He backed cultural initiatives, religious dialogue through forums in the capital, and programs aimed at bilingualism and later the gradual transition of the Kazakh language to a Latin-based script. A strong emphasis on education and international scholarships sought to create a new technocratic elite. His wife, Sara Nazarbayeva, became known for social and charitable work, while his daughters, including Dariga Nazarbayeva and Dinara, were prominent in media, business, and public life. Dariga's former husband, Rakhat Aliyev, was a controversial figure who later fell out with the leadership and became an opponent in exile, underscoring the tensions and personal stakes that often accompanied politics in the post-Soviet era.

Criticism, Opposition, and Crises
Despite economic gains and international prestige, Nazarbayev's tenure faced persistent criticism from opposition figures and human rights advocates. Critics such as Akezhan Kazhegeldin and Mukhtar Ablyazov accused the system of suppressing political competition and restricting media freedom. The killings of prominent opposition figures Altynbek Sarsenbayuly and Zamanbek Nurkadilov shocked the political scene and fueled accusations of impunity, which the authorities denied. The violent events in Zhanaozen in 2011, when a long-running labor dispute ended in deadly clashes, became a defining crisis and cast a long shadow over the government's labor and security policies. International observers frequently urged reforms to strengthen rule of law and political pluralism.

Resignation and Managed Transition
On March 19, 2019, Nazarbayev announced his resignation from the presidency after nearly three decades in power. He handed the office to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, then chairman of the Senate, in accordance with constitutional procedures. Tokayev quickly proposed renaming the capital in Nazarbayev's honor, and it was changed to Nur-Sultan, a symbolic gesture reflecting the former president's central role in the country's formation. Nazarbayev retained significant influence as head of the Security Council and as leader of the ruling party for a time, and his daughter Dariga Nazarbayeva was appointed Senate chair, underscoring the managed nature of the transition. In the following years, however, the balance shifted. After unrest in January 2022, Tokayev assumed the Security Council chair, the capital later reverted to the name Astana, and references to the First President's special status were curtailed in constitutional and legal changes. Former security chief Karim Massimov was arrested during this period, highlighting a broader restructuring of power centers.

International Engagement After the Presidency
Even after stepping down, Nazarbayev maintained a public profile through speeches, publications, and appearances connected to regional integration, nuclear nonproliferation, and interfaith dialogue. He continued to meet visiting dignitaries and to advocate for pragmatic regional cooperation in Central Asia. His long-standing relationships with Russian and Chinese leaders, and with Western policymakers, kept him a recognized voice in the region's strategic debates, even as the new administration implemented its own priorities.

Personal Life
Nazarbayev's public image combined the narrative of a self-made industrial worker with that of a state-builder. He often emphasized stability and modernization as core themes. His family remained prominent: Sara Nazarbayeva's charitable initiatives were widely noted; Dariga Nazarbayeva played leading roles in politics and media; and Dinara, together with Timur Kulibayev, was associated with business and philanthropic projects. The family's prominence drew public scrutiny amid broader debates about wealth concentration and governance in resource-rich states.

Legacy
Nursultan Nazarbayev's legacy is intertwined with the birth and consolidation of the Kazakhstani state. Supporters credit him with ensuring a peaceful path out of the Soviet Union, avoiding interethnic conflict, attracting massive foreign investment, and placing Kazakhstan on the map as a diplomatic hub with a clear multi-vector foreign policy. They point to the voluntary denuclearization, the creation of durable institutions, and the transformation of a once-remote steppe into a modern capital as signal achievements. Critics, however, argue that the political system centralized power to an excessive degree, constrained civil society and media, and fostered patronage networks that concentrated wealth and influence. The definitive assessment of his long rule will depend on how resilient Kazakhstan's institutions prove to be, how inclusive its political system becomes, and how equitably the benefits of development are shared. What remains indisputable is that Nazarbayev shaped the country's first decades of independence, surrounded by a cohort of officials such as Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Karim Massimov, and Imangali Tasmagambetov, and dealing, as both partner and counterpart, with figures as varied as Mikhail Gorbachev, Boris Yeltsin, Vladimir Putin, and leaders in China, Europe, and the United States.

Our collection contains 13 quotes who is written by Nursultan, under the main topics: Wisdom - Justice - Sports - Equality - Peace.