Kazakhstan: Several of former President Nazarbayev's confidants resign

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Kazakhstan's ex-president Nursultan Nazarbayev with his nephew Samat Abish

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MUKHTAR KHOLDORBEKOV / REUTERS

Around two weeks after the start of the violent protests in Kazakhstan, the restructuring of the power apparatus is continuing.

Another son-in-law of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev, 55-year-old Timur Kulibayev, has announced his resignation.

Kulibayev had been chairman of the presidium of the influential National Chamber of Entrepreneurs Atameken.

According to the AFP news agency, he is one of the richest men in Kazakhstan and is married to Dinara Kulibayeva, one of Nazarbayev's daughters.

Kulibayev gave no reasons for his resignation, but called on business representatives to heed the recent demands of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Among other things, he called on "very profitable companies" to pay into a state fund.

According to the Reuters news agency, Nazarbayev's nephew Samat Abish is no longer deputy head of the national security committee.

Tokayev had previously named a new deputy head of the body, but without firing Abish immediately.

Former circle around Nazarbayev is deprived of power

Last week, Nazarbayev's other two sons-in-law were dismissed as heads of two large energy companies.

The sovereign wealth fund announced on Saturday that Dimash Dosanov had resigned as chairman of the oil transport company Kastransoil and Kakirat Charipbayev that of the gas company KasakGas, formerly Kastransgas.

The firings point to power struggles in the wake of violent protests that have left at least 225 people dead.

Hundreds more were injured and thousands arrested.

The massive protests in the resource-rich ex-Soviet republic at the beginning of January were triggered by increased gas prices.

The protests later escalated into anti-government demonstrations across the country.

Tokayev had condemned the riots as an "attempted coup d'état" by organized "terrorist" forces.

He also blamed several companies for the crisis.

According to Reuters, Tokayev recently demanded that those who had become rich under Nazarbayev's almost 30-year rule should now share them with the public.

Even after his resignation in 2019, the 81-year-old Nazarbayev was considered the most powerful man in the country.

However, the ex-president has not appeared in public since the outbreak of the unrest.

fek/AFP/Reuters