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Nursultan Nazarbayev became the leader of the Kazakh Communist Party in 1989 and became the president in 1990 on the eve of the breakup of the former Soviet Union. During his nearly three decades in office, the nation of 18 million has taken advantage of its energy resources and strategic location. Nazarbayev's resignation comes less than a month after he sacked his government, citing a lack of economic development. He then named 53-year-old Askar Mamin as the new prime minister.