(Reuters) - Dariga Nazarbayeva's ex-husband was found hanged in an Austrian prison cell four years ago after a court in her native Kazakhstan convicted him of plotting to overthrow her father, the president.

After the vast oil and gas-rich Central Asian country's upper house of parliament unanimously elected her its speaker on Wednesday, Dariga is herself now just one job away from the presidency, a role her 78-year-old father, Nursultan, unexpectedly relinquished the previous day.

Her appointment marks a spectacular political comeback for someone who once led her own political party only to see it subsumed into her father's ruling party and then be squeezed out of its leadership ranks in 2007 as a corruption scandal involving her ex-husband, Rakhat Aliyev, a former high-ranking government official, snowballed.

The 55-year-old spent the next five years in the political wilderness, before making a low-key return to politics in 2012 when she was elected to the lower house of Kazakhstan's parliament representing her father's Nur Otan political party.

She has since served as the country's deputy prime minister and as a senator, a member of the upper house of parliament.

In 2015, Aliyev, her ex-husband, who by then had published a book assailing her father and his political system, was found dead in an Austrian prison cell while awaiting trial on charges that he had killed two bankers in Kazakhstan in 2007.

Before his death, he had said the allegations had been trumped up by political rivals. Austrian authorities said he had committed suicide.

Giving a brief acceptance speech on Wednesday after being named Senate speaker, Nazarbayeva said her country was at a turning point in its history and referred to her father using his honorary title as "leader of the nation".

Many Kazakhs also fondly call him "Papa".

"Our Yelbasy (national leader) has outlined large-scale tasks to modernise society," Nazarbayeva said.

Under the constitution, the Senate speaker becomes president if the incumbent resigns or dies. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the previous speaker, was sworn in as president on Wednesday after her father stood down, the first step in a transition that will see him retain considerable sway over the nation of 18 million.

Dariga's promotion, ex-speaker Tokayev's first major move after being inaugurated, raises her profile as a potential successor ahead of a presidential election next year.

In 2008, in an online question and answer session, she said "no, no, no, no", when asked if she planned to one day become president, but political analysts have long viewed her as a potential successor to her father who ruled for three decades.

Dariga's exact net worth is unknown though Forbes Kazakhstan estimated she was worth $595 million in 2013, crediting her with a raft of corporate assets.

Dariga studied at Moscow State University in the 1990s and went on to help found and then head Kazakhstan's main TV network Khabar.

Inside Kazakhstan, she is well known for her love of opera singing, and has often performed on television and even given a concert at Moscow's famous Bolshoi Theatre.

Reported to be fluent in English, Italian, German, and Russian, she has advised Kazakhs to learn Chinese, saying that closer ties with China, a major investor in Kazakhstan, are her country's future.

In 2016 her father spoke of the possibility of Kazakhstan getting a female president, saying with a broad smile that such a scenario was "entirely possible".

"There are such women who have been prepared (for the job)," Nazarbayev told an economic forum in Russia. "Taking into account that I have three daughters, I have a special attitude towards women."

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.

Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.</s>Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The Baiterek Tower, which resembles a giant egg atop a tree, is one of the city's landmarks

Kazakhstan has renamed its capital Astana to Nursultan to honour outgoing leader Nursultan Nazarbayev, who unexpectedly resigned on Tuesday.

The change was announced after Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was sworn in as president, promising to seek his predecessor's opinion on key decisions.

Mr Nazarbayev, 78, served nearly 30 years as leader of the oil-rich nation.

Meanwhile, his eldest daughter has been elected speaker of the upper house of parliament.

Dariga Nazarbayeva's promotion to the second most powerful position in the country raises her profile as a potential successor.

Her father, who is head of the governing party, will remain at the helm of the influential security council and will hold the formal title Leader of the Nation.

Analysts say it is too early to say who is going to run or to declare potential favourites in next year's election. Mr Tokayev and current Prime Minister Askar Mamin are also seen as possible contenders.

New president, new name for capital

Mr Tokayev was sworn in as president some 24 hours after Mr Nazarbayev's surprise resignation. He will serve for the remainder of the presidential term which expires in April 2020.

"[Nazarbayev's] opinion will have special, one might say priority, importance in developing and making strategic decisions," said Mr Tokayev, who had served as speaker of the upper house of parliament.

He said the world had witnessed a "historic event" with the resignation of Mr Nazarbayev, the only man to lead Kazakhstan since it emerged from the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Mr Tokayev (right) shakes hands with Mr Nazarbayev during a session in a parliament

Mr Tokayev then proposed changing Astana's name "in honour of the first president" and, shortly afterwards, parliament adopted a law making the renaming official.

Astana, which means "capital" in Kazakh, became the capital of Kazakhstan in 1997, taking over from Almaty, still the country's commercial hub and largest population centre.

Renaming cities

In the former Soviet Union, now Russia , authorities renamed Königsberg to Kaliningrad, after Mikhail Kalinin, one of the leaders of the Bolshevik revolution. Also, Stalingrad became Volgograd after Stalin's death in 1953

, authorities renamed Königsberg to Kaliningrad, after Mikhail Kalinin, one of the leaders of the Bolshevik revolution. Also, Stalingrad became Volgograd after Stalin's death in 1953 In Germany , Karl Marx Stadt became Chemnitz in 1990 after the country's reunification

, Karl Marx Stadt became Chemnitz in 1990 after the country's reunification More than 100 cities in India have changed their names since the end of British rule, including Madras to Chennai. Most recently, Allahabad was renamed Prayagraj, apparently to restore its ancient identity as a major Hindu pilgrimage centre

have changed their names since the end of British rule, including Madras to Chennai. Most recently, Allahabad was renamed Prayagraj, apparently to restore its ancient identity as a major Hindu pilgrimage centre The capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo was renamed in the 1960s from Léopoldville, named after a Belgian king, to Kinshasa, the name of a village that existed in the same area

was renamed in the 1960s from Léopoldville, named after a Belgian king, to Kinshasa, the name of a village that existed in the same area In Mozambique, the capital was named Maputo following the country's independence in 1975. Until then, it was known as Lourenço Marques after the Portuguese navigator

Daughter seen as possible successor

Mr Nazarbayev's 55-year-old daughter Dariga Nazarbayeva, a former deputy prime minister, has long been considered as a potential successor.

She once led the country's main television station and founded her own party in the 2000s, before it merged with her father's party.

Ms Nazarbayeva made no mention of the forthcoming elections in her brief acceptance speech on Wednesday, Reuters news agency reports.</s>After what must have seemed at times like a probationary year back in charge of Scotland, Alex McLeish deserves to feel far more settled in his position.

It’s just a pity the cast-list of players he must assemble into a side capable of securing away wins in potentially tricky venues such as Kazakhstan keeps changing. Only five are likely to survive from November’s 3-2 victory over Israel, part of a double-header assignment – Scotland also defeated Albania 4-0 four days earlier – which itself was bedevilled by a raft of call-offs.

McLeish’s side nevertheless secured the six points they needed to top their Nations League qualifying group and earn himself some respite as well as a measure of job security.

How the manager must crave some permanence. Even the city where Scotland will seek to kick off their latest qualifying campaign with three points has changed its name since McLeish and his players arrived on Monday.

When they woke up yesterday it was still called Astana, as has been the case for the last 20 years. However, the sudden resignation of president Nursultan Nazarbayev has prompted his successor, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to sanction the capital being re-named after him in tribute. When Scotland fly out of the city on Friday they will depart a city set to be known as Nursultan. The hope is McLeish doesn’t feel the need to change his identity during this latest qualifying campaign to avoid the wrath of the Tartan Army. Over 600 fans have followed Scotland to central Asia in the expectation of seeing them win their opening group game. Kazakhstan might be the ninth largest county on earth but their football team do not enjoy such a high billing when it comes to football, at which they are ranked 117 in the world. Scotland are currently 40.

San Marino, who Scotland play on Sunday night, sit plum last in the rankings in 211th place. Six points to follow the two successive victories with which Scotland ended the year is not an ambitious target to set.

McLeish will hope the latest shake-up does not disrupt his side’s rhythm. While it’s not the team he might have selected were everyone available, only Scott Bain in goal is set to make a competitive debut. The two centre-halves are likely to be Scott McKenna and David Bates. If so, it will be the third competitive fixture in a row in which they have partnered each other in the centre of defence.

“Momentum is the key in international football,” said McLeish, when he met reporters at the Astana Arena – if this is still its name – last night. “Unfortunately, we don’t own the players, the clubs have them and they go through rigorous seasons. It’s nearing the end of the season and some of them have pulled out with injuries or are getting injuries because of over-fatigue and things like that. A lot of that is not is not in our control. If we could get the momentum of the last two games and that nucleus of those two teams that played then I think we are on the right track.”

The average age of tonight’s side could well be as low be 24.5 – the youngest team at last summer’s World Cup in Russia, for example, were Nigeria, with an average ago of 25.9.

Three years ago a study, conducted by the CIES Football Observatory website, found that Scotland were the oldest team in Europe with an average age of 29. This has clearly changed for the better, though whether it’s been by accident or design is another question. McLeish will not have counted on the age of his goalkeeper dropping ten years but this is the case following Allan McGregor’s sudden retirement. Bain, who is expected to replace the Rangers goalkeeper, is just 27 years old.

The sense of continual change is increased by McLeish’s decision to name a fourth different captain since his return to the post. Celtic midfielder Callum McGregor follows Charlie Mulgrew, Scott McKenna and the indisposed current skipper Andy Robertson.

“I invited Callum to my room for a chat on before we came to the stadium to train,” McLeish explained. “We spoke about other things to do with his game and then I threw it in and said: ‘I’d like him to be the captain for the game’. His eyes lit up.

“It was the same when I told Andy Robertson and big McKenna in Mexico last year. Callum was probably thinking ‘ooft, captain of my country, it’s some honour.’ He’s just a guy who is a great example to every young footballer in Scotland who wants to be a professional. Every time you point something out to Callum he takes it on board, whether it’s good or bad. He just doesn’t get flustered.”

McLeish’s message to the supporters is have belief, because he will ensure the players will. “We are expected to come to places like Kazakhstan and win – we are ranked above them,” he said. “That’s the mentality the players have to get used to. We believe if we get momentum – I use that word again – we can be a threat to anybody.”</s>The URL has been copied to your clipboard

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Police in the Kazakh capital, Astana, have arrested about 20 people who protested on March 21 against the decision to rename the city "Nursultan", after Kazakhstan's former president. Nursultan Nazarbaev unexpectedly resigned on March 19, after nearly 30 years in power.</s>Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev will be sworn in on March 20 as Kazakhstan’s acting president, ending the nearly 30-year term of Nursultan Nazarbaev, who has resigned but is still expected to maintain a powerful influence in the country.

 

 Toqaev, 65, a Moscow-educated former prime minister and foreign minister and current the speaker of the Kazakh Senate, will assume the presidency at least through what would have been the end of the 78-year-old Nazarbaev’s term in 2020.

 

 In announcing Toqaev as interim president, Nazarbaev said he "can be trusted to lead Kazakhstan."

 

 Toqaev also served as a UN diplomat in Geneva and fluent in Kazakh, Russian, English, and Chinese. who also served as a UN diplomat in Geneva.

 

 The U.S. State Department on March 19 expressed confidence that its “strong” relationship with Kazakhstan will continue after Nazarbaev’s resignation.





 Washington looks forward to "continuing our work with Kazakhstan on a wide variety of issues," the spokesperson said.

 

 "The United States and Kazakhstan enjoy a strong bilateral relationship, as demonstrated by President [Donald] Trump's historic meeting with President Nazarbaev last year, and we expect this momentum to continue," the spokesperson added.

 

 Nazarbaev visted the White House in January 2018 and for talks with Trump that focused on regional security, economic issues, and bilateral relations.

 

 Kazakhstan received praise from Washington by voluntarily giving up its nuclear weapons following the fall of the Soviet Union

 and for providing logistical support to the U.S.-led military mission in Afghanistan.

 

 Even as he resigned, Nazarbaev pointed out that he has been granted the status of "elbasy" or leader of the nation, a title bestowed upon him by the loyal parliament in 2010.

"I remain chairman of the Security Council, which has been granted serious authority," he said, adding that he is also staying on as a chairman of the Nur Otan party and as a member of the Constitutional Council.

 

 "So I am staying with you," Nazarbaev said. "The concerns of the country and the people remain my concerns."

 

 The roles he is keeping could allow Nazarbaev to retain a great deal of power.

 

 A spokeswoman for the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, praised Nazarbaev for driving forward “modernization reforms, including constitutional reforms,” and for playing “an important role in promoting cooperation both regionally and globally, with a particular emphasis on promoting peace, stability and security.”

 

 “We look forward to a smooth transition in accordance with the Constitution of Kazakhstan,” said the spokeswoman, Maja Kocijancic.

 

 Kazakhstan's presidential press service said that Nazarbaev had discussed his decision to step down as president in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, adding that the two leaders " agreed to continue regular contacts in the future.”

 

 As president, Nazarbaev has maintained close relations with Russia while courting investment from Europe, the United States, Asia, and other regions to develop Kazakhtsna's plentiful oil and natural-gas resources.

 

 An official of the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, told Russian state-run TASS news agency that Russian space cooperation would continue with Kazakhstan following Nazarbaev’s resignation.

 

 Russia has been leasing the Baikonur Cosmodrome from Kazakhstan since 1994, with a contract that runs until 2050. Russia pays $115 million annually for leasing the launch facility.

Rights activists and critics have said that Nazarbaev has persistently suppressed dissent, prolonged his time in office through undemocratic votes or referendums, and used the levers of power to neutralize potential opponents.

With reporting by Merhat Sharipzhan, RFE/RL's Kazakh Service, Current Time, RFE/RL correspondent Rikard Jozwiak in Brussels, Reuters, Interfax, and TASS</s>(Reuters) - Dariga Nazarbayeva’s ex-husband was found hanged in an Austrian prison cell four years ago after a court in her native Kazakhstan convicted him of plotting to overthrow her father, the president.

After the vast oil and gas-rich Central Asian country’s upper house of parliament unanimously elected her its speaker on Wednesday, Dariga is herself now just one job away from the presidency, a role her 78-year-old father, Nursultan, unexpectedly relinquished the previous day.

Her appointment marks a spectacular political comeback for someone who once led her own political party only to see it subsumed into her father’s ruling party and then be squeezed out of its leadership ranks in 2007 as a corruption scandal involving her ex-husband, Rakhat Aliyev, a former high-ranking government official, snowballed.

The 55-year-old spent the next five years in the political wilderness, before making a low-key return to politics in 2012 when she was elected to the lower house of Kazakhstan’s parliament representing her father’s Nur Otan political party.

She has since served as the country’s deputy prime minister and as a senator, a member of the upper house of parliament.

In 2015, Aliyev, her ex-husband, who by then had published a book assailing her father and his political system, was found dead in an Austrian prison cell while awaiting trial on charges that he had killed two bankers in Kazakhstan in 2007.

Before his death, he had said the allegations had been trumped up by political rivals. Austrian authorities said he had committed suicide.

Giving a brief acceptance speech on Wednesday after being named Senate speaker, Nazarbayeva said her country was at a turning point in its history and referred to her father using his honorary title as “leader of the nation”.

Many Kazakhs also fondly call him “Papa”.

“Our Yelbasy (national leader) has outlined large-scale tasks to modernise society,” Nazarbayeva said.

Under the constitution, the Senate speaker becomes president if the incumbent resigns or dies. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the previous speaker, was sworn in as president on Wednesday after her father stood down, the first step in a transition that will see him retain considerable sway over the nation of 18 million.

Dariga’s promotion, ex-speaker Tokayev’s first major move after being inaugurated, raises her profile as a potential successor ahead of a presidential election next year.

In 2008, in an online question and answer session, she said “no, no, no, no”, when asked if she planned to one day become president, but political analysts have long viewed her as a potential successor to her father who ruled for three decades.

Dariga’s exact net worth is unknown though Forbes Kazakhstan estimated she was worth $595 million in 2013, crediting her with a raft of corporate assets.

Dariga studied at Moscow State University in the 1990s and went on to help found and then head Kazakhstan’s main TV network Khabar.

Inside Kazakhstan, she is well known for her love of opera singing, and has often performed on television and even given a concert at Moscow’s famous Bolshoi Theatre.

Reported to be fluent in English, Italian, German, and Russian, she has advised Kazakhs to learn Chinese, saying that closer ties with China, a major investor in Kazakhstan, are her country’s future.

In 2016 her father spoke of the possibility of Kazakhstan getting a female president, saying with a broad smile that such a scenario was “entirely possible”.

“There are such women who have been prepared (for the job),” Nazarbayev told an economic forum in Russia. “Taking into account that I have three daughters, I have a special attitude towards women.”</s>Kazakhstan's parliament on Wednesday voted to rename the country's capital in honour of longtime ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev , a day after he resigned as president, state media reported. Astana is now officially renamed Nursultan," the state-owned Kazinform news agency said after a parliamentary vote.Kazakhstan's new interim president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed renaming the capital after he was sworn in following Nazarbayev's shock resignation on Tuesday.In his first official act, Tokayev proposed that Astana - the gleaming new capital Nazarbayev erected in the country's vast steppes - be renamed "Nursultan", or " Sultan of Light ".Astana replaced Kazakhstan 's largest city Almaty as the capital in 1997 and was transformed from a minor provincial town into a futuristic city.Its name meant "capital" in Kazakh and there had long been speculation it could at some point be renamed after the leader who shaped it.It was not the first name change for the city, now home to more than 800,000 people.</s>The people of Astana woke up in another city after it was renamed in honor of its leader Nursultan Nazarbayev – despite having already had its name changed three times during his lifetime.

The nations in Central Asia are known for making extra efforts in honoring their leaders. The current president of Turkmenistan has a giant golden statue of himself on horseback, while the leader of Tajikistan recently asked TV stations to stop airing too much ‘congratulatory’ music videos featuring his image.

Kazakhstan is now adhering to this spirit as the residents of its capital, Astana, found themselves in a new city on Wednesday. The lawmakers voted unanimously to rename it Nur-Sultan, after former president Nursultan Nazarbayev who resigned just the day before.

The idea to “immortalize” the leader’s legacy came from Senate Speaker Kassym-Jormat Tokayev who has taken over as president. And it is just the beginning – the central streets in other cities should be renamed in connection with the former head of state as well, he said. A monument in his honor will also be erected.

The move to change the capital’s name has already spurred jokes on social media. Some residents now wonder how to call themselves – Nursultans or Nursultanians?

People couldn't help but wonder what will become of the so-called ‘Astana talks’ format in the Syrian peace process? Its name, at least, will stay the same, a foreign ministry official reassured.

As for the capital, during the previous century it was renamed a staggering three times! Known as Akmolinsk in imperial Russia, it became Tselinograd in the Soviet era, when Nazarbayev was 21. The city got a new name – Akmola – shortly after Kazakhstan got its independence in the 1990s but that didn’t stick as well, so it was named Astana in 1997.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!</s>Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev says he will resign the post he has held for nearly 30 years, abruptly announcing the end of an era that began in 1990. But Nazarbaev, 78, also said he'll keep several key official posts, in a speech that aired on national TV Tuesday.

Despite resigning the presidency, Nazarbaev will maintain control of the ruling Nur Otan Party. He'll also remain a member of powerful government councils.

"In accordance with our laws, I'm given a status of the first president - the nation's leader (elbasy in Kazakh), I will remain the Security Council's chairman, who has serious powers to determine the country's domestic and foreign policy in line with the laws," Nazarbayev said, in a translation by Russia's Tass news agency.

"In July 2018, the Security Council's status was changed from consultative to constitutional, increasing its authority, and Nazarbaev became its chairman for life," Radio Free Europe reports.

Nazarbaev has been a dominant force in oil-rich Kazakhstan. He's also often been accused of abusing human rights and of using autocratic methods to maintain control, amass power and influence elections.

And then there's the cult of personality Nazarbaev has developed in the former Soviet Central Asian republic. Kazakhstan celebrates holidays on both the president's birthday and on the anniversary of his first election, for instance. And in 2006, Nazarbaev changed the lyrics to his country's national anthem.

Nazarbaev is the only president Kazakhstan has ever known. He first rose to authority in the 1980s as a Communist Party official under the Soviet regime, which appointed him president shortly before the U.S.S.R.'s collapse. In 1991, his presidency was affirmed by an election in which he took nearly 100 percent of the vote.

Since taking power, Nazarbaev has steadily won new terms, with lopsided results: In each of his last two elections, the perennial incumbent won at least 95 percent of the vote. During his tenure, Kazakhstan has gradually shifted the terms in office for the presidency. The terms were once for seven years; that changed in 2007, when the term was shortened to five years.

Nazarbaev won his last election in 2015 — a vote that was shifted one year early, in a move that has been a hallmark of the presidency's decades in office.</s>Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbaev says he will resign the post he has held for nearly 30 years, abruptly announcing the end of an era that began in 1990. But Nazarbaev, 78, also said he'll keep several key official posts, in a speech that aired on national TV Tuesday.

In the former Soviet bloc, formerly comprised of 15 countries, Nazarbaev is the only long-standing leader to sustain power for three decades. The president of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov died in 2016 after his presidential reign of 26 years.

Despite resigning the presidency, Nazarbaev will maintain control of the ruling Nur Otan Party. He'll also remain a member of powerful government councils.

"In accordance with our laws, I'm given a status of the first president - the nation's leader (El basy in Kazakh), I will remain the Security Council's chairman, who has serious powers to determine the country's domestic and foreign policy in line with the laws," Nazarbayev said, in a translation by Russia's Tass news agency.

"In July 2018, the Security Council's status was changed from consultative to constitutional, increasing its authority, and Nazarbaev became its chairman for life," Radio Free Europe reports.

In late January, Nazarbayev asked Kazakhstan's Constitutional Council to clarify Section 3 of Article 42 of the Constitution, laying out a path for his early resignation.

On Feb. 21, Nazarbayev dismissed the entire Cabinet and reassembled it, amid a rising criticism of state officials that have been proven unable "to listen to listen to people's problems," according to Eurasianet. "No systematic work was done. The real incomes of the population have not increased. Spending on food as a share of the family budget is growing," Nazarbayev said at the time.

Nazarbaev has been a dominant force in oil-rich Kazakhstan. He's also often been accused of abusing human rights and of using autocratic methods to maintain control, amass power and influence elections.

And then there's the cult of personality Nazarbaev has developed in the former Soviet Central Asian republic. Kazakhstan celebrates holidays on both the president's birthday and on the anniversary of his first election, for instance. And in 2006, Nazarbaev changed the lyrics to his country's national anthem.

In 2017, one of the main streets in the former capital of Kazakhstan, the city of Almaty, has been renamed after him.

Nazarbaev is the only president Kazakhstan has ever known. He first rose to authority in the 1980s as a Communist Party official under the Soviet regime, which appointed him president shortly before the U.S.S.R.'s collapse. In 1991, his presidency was affirmed by an election in which he took nearly 100 percent of the vote.

Since taking power, Nazarbaev has steadily won five new terms, with lopsided results: In each of his last two elections, the perennial incumbent won at least 95 percent of the vote. During his tenure, Kazakhstan has gradually shifted the terms in office for the presidency. The terms were once for seven years; that changed in 2007, when the term was shortened to five years.

Nazarbaev won his last election in 2015 — a vote that was shifted one year early, in a move that has been a hallmark of the presidency's decades in office.
Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, is renamed Nursultan, after the former President.