Asia Pacific
19:04, 25-Feb-2019
Kazakh leader appoints new prime minister after sacking government
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Kazakhstan's long-ruling President Nursultan Nazarbayev Monday appointed a new prime minister, said his office, after dismissing the government over a lack of economic development.
"The head of state signed a decree appointing (Askar) Mamin prime minister of Kazakhstan," Nazarbayev's office said on its Twitter account.
Mamin, 53, has previously served as first deputy prime minister and also worked as transport and communications minister and mayor of capital Astana.
President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev speaks to the press on the evaluation of 2018 in Astana, Kazakhstan, December 28, 2018. /VCG Photo
President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev speaks to the press on the evaluation of 2018 in Astana, Kazakhstan, December 28, 2018. /VCG Photo
Mamin's predecessor Bakytzhan Sagintayev was sacked over what Nazarbayev described as poor economic performance, despite the Central Asian nation's vast energy resources.
Observers attributed the economic downturn to the 2014 plunge in oil prices and Western sanctions against Russia, the key trading partner of Kazakhstan.
(Cover: President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev makes a speech during a letter of credence ceremony in Astana, Kazakhstan, October 8, 2018. /VCG Photo)
Source(s): AFP