Government and Political System of Kazakhstan
The President of Kazakhstan is Nursultan Nazarbayev, who before being elected as the President in 1991 was appointed as First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan in 1989.
Mr. Nazarbayev was first elected as the President on 1 December 1991 for a five-year term. He was then reelected on 29 April 1995 and then his term was prolonged on 10 January 1999. On 4 December 2005, President Nazarbayev was re-elected for another seven-year term.
The President is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The President has primary responsibility for domestic and foreign policy, and represents Kazakhstan in international relations. Under the 1995 Constitution, the President is elected for a term of five years (until June 2007, this term was 7 years) and may be re-elected for a second term. One and the same person may not be elected the President of Kazakhstan more than two times in a row. This limitation does not apply to the First President of Kazakhstan (Mr. Nazarbayev).
The President exercises broad powers under the Constitution, and has the authority to issue decrees, initiate constitutional amendments, dissolve Parliament, veto legislation, appoint and dissolve the Government, and appoint local heads of Government. Under certain circumstances, he may issue decrees which have the force of law.