Nursultan Nazarbayev: Kazakhstan’s Longtime Ruler

Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev has ruled the country since before the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In the decades since, Nazarbayev has walked a fine line between leader and oligarch.

Despite having amassed a fortune from several state run companies, Kazakhs still support him.

In fact, officials are busy erecting several Soviet-style statutes of Nazarbayev to celebrate Kazakhstan’s two decades of independence from Russia.

Reporter Steve LeVine, a Schwartz fellow at the New America Foundation, says Nazarbayev was a keen student of Soviet-era politics.

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Marco Werman: Elections have consistently been peaceful in Kazakhstan just north of Kyrgyzstan, but free and fair…uhh…that’s a subject for debate. Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev has ruled the country since before the collapse of the Soviet Union. In the decades since, Nazarbayev has walked a fine line between leader and oligarch. Despite having amassed a fortune from several state run companies, Kazakhs still support him. In fact, officials are busy erecting several Soviet-style statues of Nazarbayev to celebrate Kazakhstan’s two decades of independence from Russia. Reporter Steve LeVine, a Schwartz fellow at the New America Foundation, says Nazarbayev was a keen student of Soviet-era politics.

Steve LeVine: The people of that generation know how to cut the legs out from under rivals. That’s his main skill. And then, he has been able to survive in the 20 years since then by maintaining a Soviet structure with a patina on top of a semi-democracy. There are elections, but they are managed. So, he and his party dominate and, in fact, his party holds all the seats in both of the houses of parliament. But, when I say there’s a patina, I guess you wouldn’t – walking around and observing the way the country operates – say this is one-man rule.

Werman: Are the Kazakhs critical of Nazarbayev, and how does he deflect that criticism?

LeVine: They are. My wife is from Kazakhstan and when I sit down with my in-laws you hear vibrant discussions about the President, about how long he’s been in power. However, you also hear his loyalists, and the loyalists would say, “Who is there who could be a substitute for him?” The rest of the political structure is rabble.

Werman: Now Steve, you’ve actually seen up close and personal how Nazarbayev can cleverly kind of work his way out of a difficult situation. You saw him in action during a news conference. Tell us what happened.

LeVine: First, these are managed news conferences. Most of the reporters are handed questions there that they are to ask the President.

Werman: Right.

LeVine: So, I asked him about one of his sons-in-law, and wasn’t it true that he had sought to drive out of the internet market critical media; didn’t it look like he wanted to promote his own websites, his own media there. He looked at me and he said, “Is there anything wrong with anyone, including my son-in-law, having the right to go into any business, including the internet business?” I replied, “Well, no, of course not.” And then he said, “That’s what I thought. Anyone can go into any business, including my family. Next question.” The response in the audience was as they usually are in these situations when he deflects – laughter at the person who had the temerity to challenge the President and appreciative of his capacity to turn around challenges to him.

Werman: Reporter Steve LeVine, thanks so much.

LeVine: Thanks so much, Marco.

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