Kazakhstan FM elected as Chairman of the Senate

ASTANA, January 11 - At a plenary meeting here on Thursday, the members of Kazakhstan's Senate unanimously voted in favour of electing Foreign Minister Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev as Chairman of the Senate. His candidacy had been suggested by President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

In accordance with the Constitution of Kazakhstan, the Chairman of the Senate is number two person in the State. In the event of an early lawful dismissal of the President from office or his removal from office, or upon his death, presidential powers for the remaining period devolve on the Senate Chairman.

Tokayev was born in 1953. He graduated from the Moscow Institute of International Relations and the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He is Doctor of Political Sciences, has diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. He was Kazakhstan's Prime Minister from October 1999 to January 2002. Since June 2003 and to the present day, Tokayev has been Kazakhstan's Minister of Foreign Affairs.