Editing Politics of Kazakhstan (section)

==Executive branch==
{{Main|Government of Kazakhstan}}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Image
! Post
! Name
! Party
! Term
|-
|[[File:Kassym-Jomart Tokayev (2024-01-18).jpg|100x100px]]
|[[List of Presidents of Kazakhstan|President]]
|[[Kassym-Jomart Tokayev]]
|[[Independent politician|Independent]]
|20 March 2019
|-
|[[File:Oljas Bektenov (2024-02-06, cropped).jpg|100x100px]]
|[[Prime Minister of Kazakhstan|Prime Minister]]
|[[Oljas Bektenov]]
|[[Amanat (political party)|Amanat]]
|6 February 2024
|}

The president is elected by popular vote for a [http://www.kazakhstanlive.com/3en.aspx five-year term.] The prime minister and first deputy prime minister are appointed by the president. Council of Ministers is also appointed by the president. President Nazarbayev expanded his presidential powers by decree: only he can initiate constitutional amendments, appoint and dismiss the government, dissolve Parliament, call referendums at his discretion, and appoint administrative heads of regions and cities.

The president is the head of state. He also is the commander in chief of the armed forces and may veto legislation that has been passed by the Parliament. President [[Nursultan Nazarbayev]], who was in office since Kazakhstan became independent, won a new 7-year term in the 1999 election that the [[Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe]] said fell short of international standards. A major political opponent, former prime minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin, was prohibited from running against the president because he had attended an unauthorized meeting of "the movement for free elections". On top of this the election was unconstitutionally called two years ahead of schedule. Free access to the media is also denied to opposing opinions. In 2002 a law set very stringent requirements for the maintenance of legal status of a political party, which lowered the number of legal parties from 19 in 2002 to 8 in 2003. The prime minister, who serves at the pleasure of the president, chairs the Cabinet of Ministers and serves as Kazakhstan's head of government. There are three deputy prime ministers and 16 ministers in the Cabinet. [[Bakhytzhan Sagintayev]] became the Prime Minister in September 2016.