Kusherbayev Appointed Deputy Premier in New Kazakh Government

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev named Krymbek Kusherbayev as deputy prime minister as he forms a new government following the departure of the Central Asian nation’s longest-serving premier.

Nazarbayev announced the appointment in a decree published today on his website. He said yesterday that Oil and Gas Minister Sauat Mynbayev, Finance Minister Bolat Zhamishev, Deputy prime minister Kairat Kelimbetov and most other members of the previous government would keep their posts. Karim Massimov resigned as premier on Sept. 24 after almost six years and was replaced by Serik Akhmetov.

Nazarbayev, who has ruled since 1989, has replaced top government officials and the head of state energy producer KazMunaiGaz National Co. after oil-rich western Kazakhstan suffered labor strikes and violent protests in December 2011 when workers demanded higher pay in the Mangistau region. Kusherbayev resigned as head of that region at the time and was named as an adviser to Nazarbayev in July.

To contact the reporter on this story: Nariman Gizitdinov in Almaty at ngizitdinov@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Stephen Voss at sev@bloomberg.net