Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan (ⁱ/ˌkæzækˈstɑːn, ˌkɑː-, -zɑːk-, -ˈstæn/;Kazakh: Қазақстан, Qazaqstan), officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a country in Central Asia, with a minor part west of the Ural River and thus in Europe. Kazakhstan is the world's largest landlocked country by land area and the ninth largest country in the world. Its territory of 2,724,900 square kilometres (1,052,100 sq mi) is larger than all of Western Europe. By 2006, Kazakhstan had become the dominant nation of Central Asia economically, generating 60% of the region's GDP, primarily through its oil/gas industry. The country has vast mineral resources.

It has borders with (clockwise from the north) Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan, and also adjoins a large part of the Caspian Sea. The terrain of Kazakhstan includes flatlands, steppe, taiga, rock canyons, hills, deltas, snow-capped mountains, and deserts. With an estimated 18 million people as of 2014, Kazakhstan is the 61st most populous country in the world. Given its large land area, its population density is among the lowest, at less than 6 people per square kilometre (15 people per sq. mi.). The capital is Astana, where it was moved in 1997 from Almaty.

Nursultan Nazarbayev

Nursultan Äbishuly Nazarbayev (Kazakh: Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев [nʊrsʊlˈtɑn æbəʃʊˈlə nɑzɑrˈbɑ.jɪf]; Russian: Нурсултан Абишевич Назарбаев [nʊrsʊlˈtan ɐˈbʲiʂɨvʲɪtɕ nəzɐrˈbajɪf]; born 6 July 1940) is the President of Kazakhstan. He has been the country's leader since 1989, when he was named First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Kazakh SSR, and was elected the nation's first president following its independence from the Soviet Union in December 1991. In April 2015, Nazarbayev was re-elected with almost 98% of the vote.

Nazarbayev has suppressed dissent, been accused of human rights abuses by several human rights organizations, and conducted an authoritarian regime. No election held under him in Kazakhstan since independence has met international standards. Since 2010 he announced reforms to encourage a multi-party system.

Early life

Nazarbayev was born in Chemolgan, a rural town near Almaty, when Kazakhstan was one of the republics of the Soviet Union. His father was a poor labourer who worked for a wealthy local family until Soviet rule confiscated the family's farmland in the 1930s during Joseph Stalin's collectivization policy. Following this, his father took the family to the mountains to live out a nomadic existence.

President

A president is the leader of a country or a division or part of a country, typically a republic, a democracy, or a dictatorship. The title "president" is sometimes used by extension for leaders of other groups, including corporate entities.

Etymologically, a president is one who presides (from Latin prae- "before" + sedere "to sit"; giving the term praeses). Originally, the term referred to the presiding officer of a ceremony or meeting (i.e., chairman), but today it most commonly refers to an executive official. Among other things, "President" today is a common title for the heads of state of most republics, whether presidential republics, semi-presidential republics or parliamentary republics.

Title

The title President is derived from the Latin prae- "before" + sedere "to sit." As such, it originally designated the officer who presides over or "sits before" a gathering and ensures that debate is conducted according to the rules of order (see also chairman and speaker). Early examples are from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge (from 1464) and the founding President of the Royal Society William Brouncker in 1660. This usage survives today in the title of such offices as "President of the Board of Trade" and "Lord President of the Council" in the United Kingdom, as well as "President of the Senate" (one of the roles constitutionally assigned to the Vice-President of the United States). The officiating priest at certain Anglican religious services, too, is sometimes called the "President" in this sense. However the most common modern usage is as the title of a head of state in a republic.

President of Kazakhstan

The President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Kazakh: Қазақстан Республикасының Президенті Qazaqstan Respublikasınıñ Prezidenti) is the head of state, Commander-in-chief and holder of the highest office within the Republic of Kazakhstan. The authorities of this position are described in special section of Constitution of Kazakhstan.

The position was established on 24 April 1990, a year before the dissolution of the Soviet Union. The first, and as of 2016 current and only President of Kazakhstan is Nursultan Nazarbayev.

None of the Presidential elections held in Kazakhstan have been considered free or fair by western countries or international observers with issues noted including ballot tampering, multiple voting, harassment of opposition candidates and press censorship.

Decoration of the President of Kazakhstan

The President of Kazakhstan's decorations include a breast mark and Standard of The President of Kazakhstan. According to a post The President of Kazakhstan granted cavalierity of the order of the "Gold Eagle" («Алтын Кыран»(«Золотой Орёл»)).

January 16

January 16 is the 16th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 349 days remaining until the end of the year (350 in leap years).

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