Kazakhstan’s Tokayev appoints longtime adviser as vice president

Erlan Karin, who has served as a top ⁠aide to Tokayev since he took over the presidency in 2019, becomes first in line ​to succeed his Tokayev as the leader of the Central Asian country.Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has appointed longtime adviser Erlan Karin as vice president, the office ‌‌created under a new constitution adopted earlier this year.The move on Monday makes Karin, who has served as a top ⁠⁠aide to Tokayev since taking over the presidency in 2019, first in line to succeed him as leader of the Central Asian country.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Kazakhstan’s newly formed pro-government party wins parliamentary electionlist 2 of 4Kazakhstan releases first tiger to restore extinct specieslist 3 of 4Kazakhstan parliamentary elections begin: What’s at stake?list 4 of 4Tokayev allies head for landslide victory in Kazakhstan electionsend of listTokayev described Karin as an experienced public servant with extensive knowledge of state governance, local media reported.“He has worked in the system of public administration for many years. One can say that he is a person of broad outlook, with rich experience and a true patriot,” Tokayev was quoted as saying.The 50-year-old has a background in “counter-terrorism” and has ⁠⁠positioned himself as a key figure in promoting Tokayev’s ideology, which he has dubbed “Kazakhstan" class="entity-link entity-topic" data-entity-id="197053" data-entity-type="topic">New Kazakhstan”.Tokayev also proposed reappointing Olzhas Bektenov as prime minister, a position ⁠⁠he has held since 2024.Both appointments were swiftly approved by parliament, which is dominated ⁠⁠by the pro-Tokayev Adilet party.Tokayev, 73, ‌‌is eligible to run for another seven-year term as president under the new constitution, according to Kazakhstan’s supreme court. His current term ends in 2029. presidents are otherwise limited to a single term in office under Kazakh basic law.Tokayev, a ⁠⁠former Soviet diplomat and top United Nations official, took office as the chosen successor of Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan’s founding president, who ruled from 1991 to 2019.