Kazakhstan's ruling Nur Otan party elected President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as its chairperson on Friday, his office said in a tweet, finalizing the transfer of political power from his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Nazarbayev, who resigned in 2019, had retained sweeping powers until this month as the chairperson of the security council and the head of Nur Otan, which dominates parliament. Tokayev took over the security council position at the peak of violent unrest in early January.
Amid widespread talk of a rift between the two politicians – a number of Nazarbayev's relatives resigned or were sacked from senior positions after the unrest – Tokayev struck a conciliatory tone in his Friday speech to the party congress.
"Let us give due credit to the historic achievements of the first president, focus on his undeniable successes and virtues, and regard the possible mistakes as lessons for the future rulers of our country," he said, according to Reuters.
Nazarbayev, who had run the oil-rich nation for three decades, briefly spoke to the congress, which was held through a video conference, reiterating his proposal to elect Tokayev as chairperson.
At the same congress, the party removed Nazarbayev's eldest daughter, Dariga, who is a member of parliament, from its political council, along with a number of other members.
Accepting his new appointment, Tokayev softened his prior criticism of Nazarbayev, by praising his predecessor's state-building achievements.
"I know that various negative rumors are circulating around the country," he said. "In this regard, as head of state, I repeat: the first president did a lot to turn our country into a strong state."
Among the achievements Tokayev credited Nazarbayev with was the decision during the 1990s to transfer Kazakhstan's capital from its largest city Almaty – the epicenter of violent unrest – to a steppe city 1,000 kilometres north that was renamed "Nur-Sultan" in Nazarbayev's honor in 2019.
"This decision is recognized as strategic everywhere: both abroad and in our country," Tokayev told Nur Otan party members at the congress. "Let us also pay tribute to the historical merits of the first president, highlight his undoubted successes and merits, and leave possible miscalculations as a warning to the future leaders of our country," Tokayev added, as Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
Tokayev said he planned to reform the party but could step down as its chairperson as soon as at the end of this year, after rolling out a political reform package that would require the president to maintain an "equidistant status" from all parties.
Appearing for the first time since the crisis began on Jan. 18, Nazarbayev denied any conflict with his successor, referring to himself as "a pensioner."
