Editing Nursultan Nazarbayev (section)

=== 1991–1999: First term ===
[[File:Henry Kissinger with former USSR leaders - WEF Annual Meeting 1992.jpg|left|thumb|Nazarbayev (three rows from left) at the 1992 World Economic Forum chaired by [[Henry Kissinger]] in [[Davos]]]]
Nazarbayev renamed the former State Defense Committees as the [[Ministry of Defense (Kazakhstan)|Ministry of Defense]] and appointed [[Sagadat Nurmagambetov]] as Defense Minister on 7 May 1992.

The [[Supreme Soviet of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic|Supreme Soviet]], under the leadership of Chairman [[Serikbolsyn Abdildin|Serikbolsyn Abdilin]], began debating over a draft constitution in June 1992. Opposition political parties [[Azat Civil Movement of Kazakhstan|Azat]], [[Jeltoqsan National Democratic Party|Jeltoqsan]] and the [[Azat Republican Party of Kazakhstan|Republican Party]], held demonstrations in [[Almaty|Alma-Ata]] from 10 to 17 June 1992 calling for the formation of a [[coalition government]], resignation of [[Tereshchenko Cabinet|Sergey Tereshchenko's government]] and the Supreme Soviet which, at that time, was composed of former Communist Party legislators who had yet to stand in an election.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cook|first=Bernard A.|title=Europe Since 1945 An Encyclopedia|publisher=Garland|year=2001|isbn=0-8153-4058-3|volume=2|location=New York City|pages=715}}</ref> The Constitution, adopted on 28 January 1993, created a strong [[executive branch]] with limited [[Separation of powers|checks]] on executive power.<ref name="Cambridge University Press">{{cite book|author1=Karen Dawisha|author2=Bruce Parrott|title=Russia and the new states of Eurasia: the politics of upheaval|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8P3pOV4CWJsC&pg=PA317|year=1994|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-45895-5|pages=317–318|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527175842/http://books.google.com/books?id=8P3pOV4CWJsC&pg=PA317|archive-date=27 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 10 December 1993, the Supreme Soviet voted to dissolve itself and that same day, a presidential decree was signed which set changes in local representative and executive bodies with elections of the [[mäslihat]]s (local legislatures) taking place every five years and [[Akim|äkims]] (local heads) being appointed by the president. In March 1994, Kazakhstan for the first time since independence, held a [[1994 Kazakh legislative election|legislative election]] which was boycotted by the Azat and Jeltoqsan parties. From there, the pro-presidential [[People's Union of Kazakhstan Unity]] party won a majority of 30 seats with [[Independent politician|independent]] candidates who were on presidential-list won 42 seats. The OSCE observers called the elections unfair, reporting an inflated voter turnout.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Kazakhstan|url=https://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/kazakhstan/Kaz1099b-02.htm#P114_17208|access-date=29 January 2021|website=hrw.org}}</ref> Nevertheless, the new composition of the Parliament was considered to be "professional" with different various [[political faction]]s that functioned. In May 1994, the [[Supreme Council of Kazakhstan|Supreme Council]] passed a [[Motion of no confidence|vote of no confidence]] against Prime Minister [[Sergey Tereshchenko]] amidst political scandals evolving Tereshchenko and government ministers. Nazarbayev objected to the change, arguing that the Constitution gave the president the right to appoint the PM with already existing parliamentary confirmation regardless of the motion of confidence.<ref name=":10">{{Cite book|last=Buyers|first=Lydia M.|title=Central Asia in Focus Political and Economic Issues|publisher=Nova Science Publishers, Inc|year=2003|isbn=9781590331538|location=New York|pages=81}}</ref> However, he eventually backed down, dismissing [[Tereshchenko Cabinet|Tereshchenko's government]] in October 1994 and appointing ethnic-Kazakh [[Akezhan Kazhegeldin]] as the new PM.<ref name=":10"/>
[[File:Kazakhstan stamp N.Nazarbaev 1993 50t.jpg|left|thumb|1993 Kazakh postage stamp of Nazarbayev]]
In 1994, Nazarbayev suggested relocating the capital city from [[Almaty]] to [[Astana]], and the official changeover of the capital happened on 10 December 1997.<ref>{{cite web|title=Official site of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan|url=http://www.akorda.kz/en/category/astana|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317063010/http://akorda.kz/en/category/astana|archive-date=17 March 2015|access-date=21 August 2014|work=Akorda}}</ref>

In March 1995, the Constitutional Court ruled that [[1994 Kazakh legislative election|1994 legislative elections]] were held unconstitutionally and as a result, Nazarbayev dissolved the [[Supreme Council of Kazakhstan|Supreme Council]].<ref>{{Cite journal|date=1 November 2016|title=Sociopolitical associations in independent Kazakhstan: Evolution of the phenomenon|journal=Pacific Science Review B: Humanities and Social Sciences|language=en|volume=2|issue=3|pages=94–99|doi=10.1016/j.psrb.2016.09.018|issn=2405-8831|doi-access=free|last=Sayabayev|first=Daniyar}}</ref> From that period, all bills were adopted on the basis of presidential decrees such as outlawing any civic participation in an unregistered and/or illegal public association who would be punished with 15-day jail sentence or fines from 5 to 10 times the minimum monthly wage in an effort "to fight organized crime."<ref name=":1"/> An [[1995 Kazakh presidential term referendum|April 1995 referendum]] extended Nazarbayev's term, originally set to end in 1996, to until 2000. In [[1995 Kazakh constitutional referendum|August 1995]], a referendum was held which allowed for greater presidential powers and established a bicameral [[Parliament of Kazakhstan|Parliament]] as well. Both the elections for [[Mazhilis]] (lower house) and the [[Senate of Kazakhstan|Senate]] (upper house) were held in December 1995 which convened in January 1996.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mishra |first=Mukesh Kumar |date=2009|title=Democratisation Process in Kazakhstan: Gauging the Indicators|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/45072948|journal=India Quarterly|volume=65|issue=3|pages=313–327|doi=10.1177/097492840906500306|jstor=45072948|s2cid=153989157|issn=0974-9284}}</ref> Nazarbayev dismissed the accusations from critics of him personally dissolving the legislature by claiming that it was under Constitutional Court's orders, saying "the law is the law, and the President is obliged to abide by the constitution, otherwise, how will we build a rule-of-law state?" and that the cancellation of the 1996 presidential elections was made by the decision of the [[Assembly of People of Kazakhstan]] arguing that "Western schemes do not work in our Eurasian expanses."<ref name=":1"/>

In October 1997, Nazarbayev dismissed Prime Minister [[Akezhan Kazhegeldin]] from his post, which according to political experts was seen as a "power grab".<ref>{{Cite news|date=11 October 1997|title=Autocratic Kazak Leader Ousts His Reformist Premier|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/10/11/world/autocratic-kazak-leader-ousts-his-reformist-premier.html|access-date=8 June 2021|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> In his address, he criticized Kazhegeldin over his record reforms and in his place, Nazarbayev appointed [[Nurlan Balgimbayev]], an oil engineer who prior served as an Oil and Gas Minister.<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 October 1997|title=Kazakhstan: Parliament Appoints New Prime Minister|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1086965.html|access-date=8 June 2021|website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty|language=en}}</ref>