Editing Nursultan Nazarbayev (section)

=== 1999–2006: Second term ===
[[File:Defense.gov News Photo 971117-D-9880W-112.jpg|left|thumb|[[William Cohen]] and Nazarbayev in November 1997]]
On 7 October 1998, a number of amendments were made to the [[Constitution of Kazakhstan]] in which the term of office of the president was increased from 5 to 7 years as well as term limits. The changes also removed restriction on the maximum required age of a presidential candidate.<ref>{{Cite web |author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |title=Freedom in the World 1998 – Kazakhstan |url=https://www.refworld.org/docid/5278c65c5.html |access-date=15 June 2022 |website=Refworld |language=en}}</ref> The following day on 8 October, Nazarbayev signed decree setting the election date for January 1999. He was [[1999 Kazakh presidential election|reelected]] for second term by winning 81% of the vote in the first round, defeating his main challenger and former [[Supreme Council of Kazakhstan|Supreme Council]] chairman [[Serikbolsyn Abdildin]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 March 2015|title=Kazakh 'Rerun:' A Brief History of Kazakhstan's Presidential Elections|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/kazakhstan-brief-history-of-presidential-elections/26890276.html|access-date=28 January 2021|website=RFE/RL}}</ref> Abdildin himself in response refused to acknowledge the official results, insisting that they were falsified.<ref>{{Cite news|last=МАМАШУЛЫ|first=Асылхан|date=5 July 2021|title=Одно событие – два мнения. Что Назарбаев и Абдильдин говорили друг о друге|url=https://rus.azattyq.org/a/kazakhstan-chto-nazarbaev-abdildin-govorili-drug-druge/31341199.html|access-date=23 February 2022|website=Радио Азаттык|language=ru}}</ref>

In February 1999, several pro-presidential parties formed into one party named [[Otan (party)|Otan]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|date=5 April 2012|title=Background on Nur Otan Party|url=https://carnegieendowment.org/2012/04/05/background-on-nur-otan-party-pub-47756|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170602054215/http://carnegieendowment.org/2012/04/05/background-on-nur-otan-party-pub-47756|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 June 2017|access-date=29 January 2021|website=Carnegie Endowment for International Peace|language=en}}</ref> At the [[1st Congress of the Otan|Founding Congress]] of the party which was held on 1 March 1999, Nazarbayev was elected as the chairman. From there, he suggested that former PM [[Sergey Tereshchenko]] should take over the leading role, noting the constitutional limits on president's affiliation with political parties while Nazarbayev himself remained as ''de facto'' party leader.<ref>{{cite book|author=<!--United States. Congress. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe-->|title=Report on Kazakstan's Presidential Election: January 10, 1999|date=20 May 1999|location=Washington D.C.|page=15}}</ref> In July 1999, Nazarbayev signed decree setting the date for the [[1999 Kazakh legislative election|legislative elections]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Указ Президента Республики Казахстан от 7 июля 1999 года № 168 О назначении очередных выборов в Парламент Республики Казахстан.|url=https://online.zakon.kz/Document/?doc_id=1013704|access-date=29 January 2021|website=Информационная система ПАРАГРАФ|language=ru}}</ref> The Otan, for the first time, participated in the elections, winning 23 seats. In the aftermath on 1 October 1999, Nazarbayev appointed [[Kassym-Jomart Tokayev]] as the PM after his predecessor [[Nurlan Balgimbayev]] had faced an increasing unpopularity amidst worsening economy and scandal revolving around an arms deal with [[North Korea]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=1 October 1999|title=Asia Now – New prime minister named for Kazakhstan |url=http://www.cnn.com/ASIANOW/central/9910/01/kazakhstan.02/index.html|access-date=8 June 2021|website=cnn.com}}</ref>
[[File:Vladimir Putin with Nursultan Nazarbayev-6.jpg|thumb|232x232px|Vladimir Putin with Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2000]]
Nazarbayev appointed [[Altynbek Sarsenbayev]], who at the time served as the Minister of Culture, Information and Concord, the Secretary of the [[Security Council of Kazakhstan|Security Council]], replacing [[Marat Tazhin]], on 4 May 2001. Tazhin became the Chairman of the [[National Security Council (Kazakhstan)|National Security Committee]], replacing [[Alnur Mussayev]]. Mussayev became the head of the Presidential Security Service.<ref>{{cite book|author=Robert D'A. Henderson|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NEp9FjHckLYC&pg=PA272|title=Brassey's International Intelligence Yearbook: 2003 Edition|date=2003|publisher=Brassey's|isbn=978-1-57488-550-7|page=272|access-date=3 February 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527173508/http://books.google.com/books?id=NEp9FjHckLYC&pg=PA272|archive-date=27 May 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>

In January 2002, Prime Minister [[Kassym-Jomart Tokayev]] resigned from his post and was subsequently appointed as the [[Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Kazakhstan)|Minister of Foreign Affairs]] and [[State Secretary of Kazakhstan|State Secretary]]. [[Imangali Tasmagambetov]] took over Tokayev's role as the new PM which viewed as a response towards a political crisis which occurred following the formation of the [[Democratic Choice of Kazakhstan]] in November 2001 by several prominent Kazakh officials who called for political and democratic reforms.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Blua|first=Antoine|date=28 January 2002|title=Kazakhstan: Tasmagambetov Appointed New Prime Minister After Tokaev Resigns|url=https://www.rferl.org/a/1098610.html|access-date=8 June 2021|website=RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty|language=en}}</ref> [[Tasmagambetov Government|Tasmagambetov's government]] was short-lived, facing opposition by the [[Parliament of Kazakhstan|Parliament]] over his proposed policies on land privatisation which led to a [[motion of no confidence]] against him.<ref>{{Cite news|date=26 June 2003|title=Short-lived, but still a mutiny|newspaper=The Economist|url=https://www.economist.com/asia/2003/06/26/short-lived-but-still-a-mutiny|access-date=8 June 2021|issn=0013-0613}}</ref> Tasmagambetov resigned in June 2003 and Nazarbayev appointed [[Daniyal Akhmetov]] to lead the government citing the reason "to intensify the pace of social and economic development."<ref>{{Cite web|last=Kusainov|first=Aldar|date=13 June 2003|title=Government Reshuffle in Kazakhstan Gives Nazarbayev Maneuverability on Key Issues |url=https://eurasianet.org/government-reshuffle-in-kazakhstan-gives-nazarbayev-maneuverability-on-key-issues|access-date=8 June 2021|website=eurasianet.org|language=en}}</ref>