New head of Kazakhstan’s Central Election Commission appointed

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev issued a decree appointing Nurlan Abdirov as head of the Central Election Commission (CEC), the head of state’s press service announced on Tuesday.

"Nurlan Mazhitovich Abdirov [is hereby] appointed as head of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan," the directive reads.

On the same day, the head of state relieved Nurlan Abdirov of his duties as a member of the Senate (the upper house of parliament).

Abdirov, 61, served as deputy chairman of Kazakhstan's Senate since September 1, 2020. Since 2016, he had been a member of the Majilis (lower house of parliament) from the ruling Nur Otan (the Fatherland's Ray of Light) party.

The Kazakh leader, likewise, handed down a decree dismissing the former head of the CEC, Berik Imashev, from that post.

According to some media, Imashev is a relative of Kazakhstan's first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev. Imashev's daughter Aida is married to Nazarbayev's grandson Nurali Aliyev.