Thursday, April 26, 2012 -
Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Massimov was identified this week as the most powerful man in Kazakhstan – aside from President Nursultan Nazarbayev, of course.
The list of Kazakhstan’s 50 most influential Kazakhs published Monday by online magazine Vlast did not include the country’s veteran leader, who has ruled the country since the 1980s when it was a Soviet republic.
That is because Nazarbayev is way ahead of the rest of the pack.
“It is obvious that the level of influence of other participants in the ranking cannot compare with [the president],” Vlast.kz said.
Massimov has led the government since 2007 when he was appointed to the position by Nazarbayev.
Second place is taken by Aslan Musin, who has led the President’s administration since 2008. The successful politician previously held a number of top-level positions within the ruling regime.
Nazarbayev’s son-in-law Timur Kulibayev took third place. He is former chairman of the $80 billion national wealth fund Samruk-Kazyna and is among the country’s richest men.
The president’s eldest daughter Dariga Nazarbayev was ranked 10th.
Others in the list include Alexander Mashkevich, the founder of mining firm Eurasion National Resources Corporation (ENRC), Rashid Tusupbekov, a former prosecutor-general, and Lyazzat Kiinov, the current head of KazMunaiGas (KMG), as well as several government ministers.
The magazine said the ranking is based on its poll of some 90 experts, who include political scientists, journalists, economists, sociologists, and public figures.