Kazakhstan’s Kurultai elects Erlan Karin as vice president

Erlan Karin has been elected Vice President of Kazakhstan after his candidacy was approved by 141 deputies of the country’s Kurultai, Kazinform reports.

Karin’s nomination was put forward by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who described the vice presidency as an important element of Kazakhstan’s state governance system.

According to Tokayev, the Vice President will work closely with the Kurultai and the government and will carry out tasks assigned by the President in accordance with the Constitution.

“I consider Erlan Tynymbaiuly Karin worthy of this position,” Tokayev said, highlighting Karin’s extensive experience in government, his involvement in implementing reforms and his understanding of Kazakhstan’s strategic priorities.

Following Karin’s election, Tokayev is expected to sign a decree defining the Vice President’s powers.

Karin, 50, was born in 1976 in Kazakhstan’s Turkestan Region. He graduated from K. Zhubanov Aktobe University in 1996 with a degree in history and geography.

He has held several positions in Kazakhstan’s political and government institutions. His career has included work as a political analyst, researcher and adviser to regional authorities, as well as senior positions in the Presidential Administration.

From 2008 to 2013, Karin served as secretary of the Nur Otan party. He later served as director of the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies from 2014 to 2017.

In subsequent years, he served as Kazakhstan’s State Counsellor, presidential aide and State Secretary.

Most recently, on June 30, Karin was appointed First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration.

By Vugar Khalilov