Former State Adviser Erlan Karin has become Kazakhstan’s vice president. Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov was also nominated for the post but will remain in his position as head of Government.
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Monday appointed Erlan Karin as the country’s first vice president in three decades. The appointment came during the second session of Kazakhstan’s newly elected unicameral Parliament, the Kurultai.
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Tokayev proposed two candidates for the post. Erlan Karin, a former State Adviser and deputy head of the Presidential Administration, and Olzhas Bektenov, who retained his position as Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister.
The position of vice president was restored under Kazakhstan’s new Constitution, approved in a nationwide referendum in March 2026.
The post had previously existed only during the first years of Kazakhstan’s independence, from 1991 to 1995, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was later abolished under former President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
Tokayev has said the vice president will maintain a balance between the branches of government and will work closely with Parliament and the Government.
The choice of Karin puts one of the key figures behind Kazakhstan’s recent political and ideological agenda at the centre of the country’s new system of government.
In recent years, his role has become particularly prominent in shaping Kazakhstan’s political and ideological agenda. In 2026, he headed a working group on parliamentary reform and later became deputy chairman of the Constitutional Commission.
Karin has also been involved in developing and promoting key political campaigns and concepts associated with the Tokayev administration, including "New Kazakhstan", "Law and Order" and "Taza Kazakhstan" ("Clean Kazakhstan").
After his appointment, Tokayev met with Erlan Karin and Olzhas Bektenov.
At the first session of the Kurultai on August 28, Kazakhstan’s government resigned. Aida Balayeva, who had served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture and Information, was the first to receive a new appointment.
Tokayev appointed her as Deputy Chairman of Kazakhstan’s Security Council.
The new Constitution also permits Tokayev to seek another presidential term, although he has not indicated whether he intends to run.