Nazarbayev's status was decided to be fixed in the Constitution of Kazakhstan

 INTERFAX.RU:   In Kazakhstan, the working group on the amendment of the Basic Law proposed to consolidate in the Constitution the status of the first president of the country, Nursultan Nazarbayev, as the founder of independent Kazakhstan. This was announced by a member of the working group Ermek Abdrasulov.

He recalled that the Constitution states that the status of the country's first president is regulated by the Constitution and constitutional laws.

"The Working Group came to the conclusion that this status should be defined already in the Constitution itself, without referring to the laws that this norm specifies. That is, the first president of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the founder of independent Kazakhstan, this status will be determined," Abdrasulov said.

The current Constitutional law "On the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan" defines the political and legal status, prerogatives and guarantees of the first president after he ceases to exercise the powers of the head of state. In particular, Nazarbayev has the title of people's hero by status, and the restriction of the right to be elected president does not apply to him. He also has immunity: he should not be held accountable for actions committed during the period of his presidential powers, detained, searched or interrogated.

The inviolability extends to all property belonging to Nazarbayev and his family members living together with him, as well as residential and office premises used by them, official transport, communications, correspondence, documents belonging to them.

By law, the first president receives a monthly pension in the amount of 80% of the monthly official salary of the head of state. Every member of Nazarbayev's family who lives with him will be entitled to a benefit in the amount of ten minimum old-age pensions for life.

At the height of the January riots, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev replaced Nazarbayev at the head of the Security Council, although by law the post was assigned to the first president for life. Tokayev also headed the ruling Nur Otan party in the country, which was established in 1999 on the initiative of Nazarbayev. In March, the party decided to rename it "Amanat".

In February, Kazakhstan adopted amendments to the constitutional law on the first president, according to which Nazarbayev will no longer head the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan (APK) and the country's Security Council. The provision that the proposed initiatives in the main areas of domestic and foreign policy should be coordinated with Nazarbayev was also excluded from the law.