Leaders of the Kazakh Khanate (Khans) (1465–1874)
Leaders of Kazakhstan (1917–1990) Alash Autonomy (1917–1920) ChairmanTerm of officePolitical partyRefPortraitNameTook officeLeft officeTime in office 1Alikhan Bukeikhanov13 December 19175 March 1920Alash—
Kirghiz Krai (1919–1920) ChairmanTerm of officePolitical partyRefPortraitNameTook officeLeft officeTime in officeChairman of the Revolutionary Committee 1Stanisław Pestkowski10 July 191926 August 1920Communist(Bolsheviks)— —Sakypkerey Argynshiev (Acting)August 192026 August 1920<1 monthCommunist(Bolsheviks)—
Kirghiz Autonomous Socialist Soviet Republic (1920–1925) ChairmanTerm of officePolitical partyRefPortraitNameTook officeLeft officeTime in officeChairman of the Revolutionary Committee 1Stanisław Pestkowski26 August 192015 September 1920Communist(Bolsheviks)— —Sakypkerey Argynshiev (Acting)26 August 1920September 1920<1 monthCommunist(Bolsheviks)— 2Viktor Radus-Zenkovich15 September 192013 October 1920Communist(Bolsheviks)—Chairman of the Central Executive Committee 3Seitkali Mendeshev13 October 192019 April 1925Communist(Bolsheviks)— 3Zhalau Mynbayev19 April 192515 July 1925Communist(Bolsheviks)—
Kazakh Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (1925–1936) ChairmanTerm of officePolitical partyRefPortraitNameTook officeLeft officeTime in officeChairman of the Central Executive Committee 1Zhalau Mynbayev15 July 19253 April 1927Communist(Bolsheviks)— 2Eltai Yernazarov3 April 19279 January 1935Communist(Bolsheviks)— 3Uzakbai Kulymbetov9 January 19355 December 1936Communist(Bolsheviks)—
Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic (1936–1991)
First Secretary of the Communist Party ChairmanTerm of officePolitical partyRefPortraitNameTook officeLeft officeTime in office 1Levon Mirzoyan23 April 193723 May 1938Communist(Bolsheviks) —Oversaw early famine relief and collectivization; arrested in 1938 during Great Purge and executed in February 1939. 2Nikolay Skvortsov23 May 193823 July 1945Communist(Bolsheviks) —Guided the republic through wartime mobilization relocating factories during World War II and post‑war reconstruction. 3Gennady Borkov23 July 194522 June 1946Communist(Bolsheviks) —Served briefly in the immediate post‑war period during demobilization; little else is documented about his short tenure. 4Zhumabay Shayakhmetov22 June 19466 February 1954Communist(Bolsheviks) —First ethnic Kazakh in the post; removed in February 1954 under Khrushchev's reorganizations amid allegations of corruption. 5Panteleimon Ponomarenko6 February 19547 May 1955Communist —Transferred from Byelorussian SSR as a transitional figure after Stalin's death; served just over a year before being reassigned. 6Leonid Brezhnev8 May 19556 March 1956Communist —Promoted from Second Secretary to lead Virgin Lands campaign and Baikonur development; recalled to Moscow in March 1956 after disappointing harvests. 7Ivan Yakovlev6 March 195626 December 1957Communist —Elevated from Second to First Secretary during the Khrushchev Thaw; oversaw de‑Stalinization measures and defense‑industry conversion. 8Nikolai Belyaev26 December 195719 January 1960Communist —Noted for advancing agricultural and economic policies; dismissed in January 1960 due to a downturn in agricultural output and the harsh suppression of the 1959 Temirtau riots. 9Dinmukhamed Kunaev19 January 196026 December 1962Communist —— 10Ismail Yusupov26 December 19627 December 1964Communist —Succeeded Kunaev amid Khrushchev's regional reshuffling; initiated the transfer of several South Kazakhstan regions to the Uzbek SSR and was later dismissed at Brezhnev's suggestion. 11Dinmukhamed Kunaev7 December 196416 December 1986Communist —After a brief hiatus (replaced in 1962), he returned to lead for over 22 years overseeing massive industrialization and former Virgin Lands efforts and was removed in December 1986 by Gorbachev, causing the Jeltoqsan protests. 12Gennady Kolbin16 December 198622 June 1989Communist —Appointed by Gorbachev as an outsider with no prior work in Kazakhstan; his imposition sparked the Jeltoqsan protests. 13Nursultan Nazarbayev22 June 198928 August 1991Communist —Last First Secretary; oversaw the exclusion of Article 6 (ending one‑party monopoly) on 24 October 1990 and the transition to the Presidency in April 1990 before office was abolished in September 1991.
Head of state PortraitNameTerm of officePolitical party Took office Left office Time in officeChairman of the Central Executive Committee1 (1891–1938) 5 December 1936 22 June 1937 QKP— Ismail Salvafeka June 1937 July 1937 ~1 month QKP2Alibey Dzhangildin(1884–1953)July 193728 October 1937 ~3 months QKP3(1907–1947)28 October 193715 July 1938 QKPChairmen of the Supreme Soviet4(1907–1984)15 July 193817 July 1938 QKPChairmen of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet5(1898–1959) 17 July 1938 January 1947 ~8.5 years QKP— January 1947 20 March 1947 ~2 months QKP6(1909–1982)20 March 1947 23 January 1954 QKP7Nurtas Undasynov(1904–1989)23 January 1954 19 April 1955 QKP8Zhumabek Tashenev(1915–1986)19 April 1955 20 January 1960 QKP9Fazyl Karibzhanov(1912–1960)20 January 196025 August 1960 QKP—Kapitalina Krykova25 August 1960 3 January 1961 QKP10Isagali Sharipov(1906–1976)3 January 1961 5 April 1965 QKP11Sabir Niyazbekov(1912–1989)5 April 196520 December 1978 QKP12Isatay Abdukarimov(1924–2001)20 December 197814 December 1979 QKP13Sattar Imashev(1926–1984)14 December 197922 February 1984 QKP14Andrey Plotnikov(1912–1991)22 February 198422 March 1984 QKP15Bayken Ashimov(1917–2010)22 March 198427 September 1985 QKP16Salamat Mukashev(1927–2004)27 September 19859 February 1988 QKP17Zakash Kamalidenov(1939–2017)9 February 1988December 1988 ~10 months QKP18Vera Sidorova(1934–2025)December 198810 March 1989 ~3 months QKP19(1929–2012)10 March 198922 February 1990 QKPChairmen of the Supreme Soviet20Nursultan Nazarbayev(born 1940)22 February 199024 April 1990 QKP
Presidents of the Republic of Kazakhstan (1990–present)
The president of Kazakhstan holds the highest authority in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Established under the Constitution of Kazakhstan, the president is the head of state and as of 2022 is directly elected by the people for a nonrenewable term of seven years. The president appoints the prime minister of Kazakhstan (head of government) and first deputy prime minister. Alongside the prime minister, the president leads the executive branch of the Kazakh government and serves as the commander-in-chief of the Kazakh Armed Forces. Since the establishment of the office of the presidency on 24 April 1990, under the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, Kazakhstan has had only two individuals serve as president. The current president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, assumed office on 20 March 2019, following the resignation of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the country's founding president.
Political parties
Symbols
Constitutional referendum
PortraitNameElectedTerm of officePolitical party Took office Left office Time in officeNursultan Nazarbayev19901991199920052011201524 April 199020 March 2019QKP(1990–1991)Independent(1991–1999)Otan/Nur Otan(1999–2019)20 Kassym-Jomart Tokayev — 20 March 2019 12 June 2019 84 daysNur Otan(2019–2022)Amanat(March–April 2022)Independent(since 2022)212019202212 June 2019Incumbent Note
Until 16 December 1991 the head of state was called President of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic.
Timeline
See also Politics of Kazakhstan President of Kazakhstan Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Vice President of Kazakhstan
References
External links Kazakhstan President Official Site Kazakhstan President Nazarbayev Biography