Former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev undergoes heart surgery

Former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev was reportedly hospitalized and underwent heart surgery in Astana on Friday. According to an official spokesperson, the operation was successful and the 82-year-old’s life is not in danger.

Nursultan Nazarbayev served as Kazakhstan’s first president from 1991 until 2019, when he resigned.

After stepping down, Nazarbayev continued to enjoy significant influence over the country’s politics for several years. In the wake of the protests that rocked Kazakhstan in January 2022, however, the ex-leader was stripped of the titles of Security Council Chairman, Chairman of the ruling Amanat party, and Elbasy (“Leader of the Nation”).

In June 2022, Kazakh citizens voted to strip Nazarbayev and his family of a number of official privileges.