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Älihan Smaiylov

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Älihan Smaiylov
Әлихан Смайылов
Smaiylov in 2023
11th Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
In office
11 January 2022 – 5 February 2024
Acting: 5 – 11 January 2022
PresidentKassym-Jomart Tokayev
First DeputyRoman Sklyar
Preceded byAskar Mamin
Succeeded byRoman Sklyar (acting)
Oljas Bektenov
First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
In office
25 February 2019 – 5 January 2022
Prime MinisterAskar Mamin
Preceded byAskar Mamin
Succeeded byRoman Sklyar
Minister of Finance
In office
18 September 2018 – 18 May 2020
PresidentNursultan Nazarbayev
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Prime MinisterBakhytzhan Sagintayev
Askar Mamin
Preceded byBakhyt Sultanov
Succeeded byErulan Jamaubaev
Personal details
Born (1972-12-18) 18 December 1972 (age 52)
Alma-Ata, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
(now Almaty, Kazakhstan)
Political partyAmanat
SpouseBaljan Smaiylova
Children2
Alma materAl-Farabi Kazakh National University
KIMEP University

Älihan Ashanūly Smaiylov (/æliˈhɑːn ˈsmaɪlɒf/; Kazakh: Әлихан Асханұлы Смайылов, IPA: [ælɘjˈχɑn ɑsˌχɑnʊˈɫɤ (ə)smɑˈjɯɫəf]; born 18 December 1972) is a Kazakh politician who served as the prime minister of Kazakhstan from 2022 to 2024.[1]

Previously, he served as the First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan under PM Asqar Mamin. He at the same time served as the Minister of Finance from 2018 to 2020. Smaiylov was appointed as the acting prime minister of Kazakhstan by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during the January Events.[2] His candidacy was unanimously approved by the country's parliament.[3]

Since January 2023, he has been Chairman of the Board of Directors of the JSC National Welfare Fund Samruk-Kazyna.

Biography

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Early life and education

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Smaiylov was born in the city of Alma-Ata (now Almaty) in the Kazakh SSR. In 1994, he graduated from the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University with a degree in applied mathematics and then in 1996, from the KIMEP University where he earned master's degree in public administration.[4]

Career

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In 1993, he became an employee of the A-Invest Investment and Privatization Fund. From 1995, Smaiylov was the chief specialist of the Trade and Industry Department of the Almaty City Administration. In 1996, he served as the trainee of the Supreme Economic Council under the President of Kazakhstan. From August 1996 to February 1998, Smaiylov was the deputy head and then the head of Department of the National Statistical Agency of Kazakhstan.[4]

In 1998, he was the deputy chairman of the Committee on Statistics and Analysis of the Agency for Statistical Planning and Reforms of Kazakhstan. From 1998 to 1999, Smaiylov served as the chief expert, head of the sector of the department, state inspector of the Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan. From August to November 1999, Smaiylov was the state inspector of the Organizational and Control Department of the Presidential Administration. That same year, he became the chairman of the Agency of Kazakhstan on Statistics.[4]

In 2003, Smaiylov was appointed as the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs until he became the chairman of the Board of the Joint Stock Company State Insurance Company for Insurance of Export Credits and Investments. In February 2006, he was appointed as the Vice Minister of Finance until January 2007, when he became the president of JSC National Holding Kazagro. On 21 November 2008, Smaiylov was reappointed as the Vice Minister of Finance. From 27 October 2009, Smaiylov served the chairman of the Agency of Kazakhstan on Statistics again until August 2014, when he became the chairman of the Committee on Statistics.[4][5]

On 11 December 2015, Smaiylov was appointed as the Assistant to the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev.[6] He served that position until 18 September 2018, when he became the Minister of Finance under Prime Minister Bakhytjan Sagintayev.[7][8]

On 25 February 2019, he became the First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan in Mamin Government.[9] At the same time, Smaiylov served as the Minister of Finance until 18 May 2020, when he was replaced by Erulan Jamaubaev.[10] From 27 May 2020, Smaiylov is the representative of Kazakhstan in the Eurasian Economic Commission.

On 19 January 2023, Älihan Smailov was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors of National Welfare Fund Samruk-Kazyna.[11]

Prime Minister of Kazakhstan (2022–2024)

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Tenure

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Following the outbreak of 2022 Kazakh unrest, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appointed Smaiylov as the acting prime minister of Kazakhstan on 5 January 2022, in response to the resignation of his predecessor Asqar Mamin and his government.[12][13] According to Joanna Lillis from Eurasianet, Smaiylov along with other ministers is a technocrat with role in "carrying the baggage" of a "tainted cabinet" and that his appointment as the head of government would provide more clues in Tokayev's future policies.[14]

First term

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See also: First Smaiylov Government

On 11 January 2022, the Mäjilis, the lower house of the Parliament of Kazakhstan, approved Smaiylov as the new prime minister with 89 deputies across party factions unanimously voting in favour for his candidacy.[15] President Tokayev at the session asserted that Smaiylov's view on Kazakhstan's future economy being "correct" and that he had "a precise plan".[16] From there, Smaiylov himself thanked for support and remarked it as a "great responsibility" and praised Tokayev's existing policies.[15] With 9 out of 20 total ministers being new appointees, the First Smaiylov Government faced tasks in improving the quality of life for citizens, maintaining economic growth, dealing with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, restoring the widescale damage and leading Kazakhstan out of the aftermath caused by the unrest.[17][18]

At the first meeting with cabinet of ministers on 12 January 2022, Smaiylov proclaimed that the government "must justify the high confidence of the head of state at this difficult moment for the whole country."[17]

Second term

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See also: Second Smaiylov Government

In response to the 2023 Kazakhstan wildfires, Smaiylov urged faster implementation of early fire detection systems in Kazakh natural parks, citing Burabay National Park's success in reducing fire damage and response times, and instructed measures to equip all national parks and forests with these systems and revise wildfire response protocols.[19][20] On 31 July 2023, Smaiylov signed a resolution to allocate an additional 918 million tenge from the government reserve for purchasing fire-fighting overalls for employees of forest fire stations working in environmental institutions and forestries.[21][22][23]

On 5 February 2024, Smaiylov and his cabinet resigned. He was replaced by his deputy and acting Prime Minister, Roman Sklyar.[24] The next day, the official new Prime Minister, Oljas Bektenov was appointed.[25]

Domestic policy

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COVID-19 response

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See also: COVID-19 pandemic in Kazakhstan and COVID-19 vaccination in Kazakhstan

Amid rising COVID-19 cases in several regions of Kazakhstan, Smaiylov on 12 January 2022 instructed the Ministry of Healthcare and local executive bodies to increase PCR testing, monitor operations, ensure medical readiness, and prevent drug shortages, emphasizing the need for mobile medical teams to provide home care and free medicines, while also significantly increasing the rate of population revaccination under the personal control of regional akims.[26][27]

Socioeconomic policies

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On 18 January 2022, the government approved the Plan of Operational Actions to Stabilize the Socio-Economic Situation following the January Events. The action plan included 51 measures to restore public order, rebuild infrastructure, support social issues, prevent price hikes, and aid businesses. Key actions involve increasing security, compensating affected workers, and supporting the families of victims. Measures also include debt relief, housing aid, stabilizing the foreign exchange market, and delaying tax inspections.[28] Smaiylov emphasized the plan's focus on increasing citizens' incomes and reducing youth unemployment, with strict oversight by state officials to ensure effective implementation.[29]

In March 2022, the Program to Increase Incomes of the Population until 2025 was adopted, aimed at improving citizens' well-being and updating social and labour policies by boosting employment in industry and entrepreneurship through the creation of new industrial clusters, financial support for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), and fostering SME development around large enterprises; in the agricultural sector, it includes measures to establish households, implement investment projects, and expand microcredit mechanisms, with the overall goal of reducing the share of the population earning below the subsistence level, reducing unemployment, and creating about 2 million new jobs by 2025.[30]

State regulation of prices

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Under President Tokayev's initiative, Smaiylov instructed the adoption of a regulatory act on 5 January 2022, to implement price caps on liquefied gas, gasoline, and diesel for 180 days, along with a mechanism for state regulation of prices for socially significant food products,[31][32][33] which the price cap for petroleum products was extended until January 2023.[34] Following this, in June 2023, legislation was adopted to continue regulating state pricing for liquefied gas, emphasizing transparent pricing mechanisms and fair market practices in Kazakhstan.[35]

Inflation reduction

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See also: 2021–2023 inflation surge

Facing an 8.1% inflation rate, Smaiylov instructed government bodies to take measures to increase food production, control trade markups, monitor pricing practices, and ensure market saturation.[36] A draft set of measures to control and reduce inflation for 2022–2024 has been developed was adopted in February 2022, which included 66 measures across five areas to boost production, improve logistics, regulate pricing, and enforce antimonopoly and foreign trade regulations.[37]

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kazakhstan's inflation rate suddenly spiked. Smaiylov attributed the cause to rising global food prices and urged state bodies and regional akims to strengthen efforts to curb inflation and take effective measures.[38][39]

References

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  1. ^ "Protests in Kazakhstan over High Fuel Prices - Novinite.com - Sofia News Agency". novinite.com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Kazakh President Announces CSTO Troop Withdrawal, Appoints New PM". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 11 January 2022. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Токаев назначил новое правительство после протестов". РБК (in Russian). 11 January 2022. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d "Смаилов Алихан Асханович ▷ биография, фото, должность". kapital.kz. 23 October 2019. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Комитет по статистике: вывеска поменялась, руководство осталось". forbes.kz. 26 August 2014. Archived from the original on 28 August 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2020.
  6. ^ "Назначен помощник Президента Казахстана". Tengrinews.kz (in Russian). 11 December 2015. Archived from the original on 14 December 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  7. ^ "Alikhan Smailov appointed as Minister of Finance". Egemen Qazaqstan. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Kazakh president's aide Smailov appointed finance minister". Reuters. 18 September 2018. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  9. ^ February 2019, Aidana Yergaliyeva in Nation on 26 (26 February 2019). "Kazakh President appoints new government, reorganises ministries". The Astana Times. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  10. ^ INFORM.KZ (18 May 2020). "Kazakhstan appoints new Finance Minister". inform.kz (in Russian). Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  11. ^ "Alikhan Smailov elected Chairman of Samruk-Kazyna Fund's Directors Board". inform.kz. 19 January 2023. Archived from the original on 22 January 2023.
  12. ^ "Kazakh president sacks cabinet, declares emergency amid unrest". aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  13. ^ "This will not end quickly — or peacefully". Worldcrunch. 6 January 2022. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  14. ^ Lillis, Joanna (6 January 2022). "Kazakhstan explainer: Who's in, who's out as Tokayev tries to take back control?". Eurasianet. Archived from the original on 6 January 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
  15. ^ a b Мұхади, Айнұр (11 January 2022). "Әлихан Смайылов ҚР премьер-министрі болып тағайындалды". Stan.kz (in Kazakh). Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  16. ^ "Қасым-Жомарт Тоқаев ҚР Премьер-Министрі лауазымына Әлихан Смайыловтың кандидатурасын ұсынды". Kazinform (in Kazakh). 11 January 2022. Archived from the original on 3 October 2023. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  17. ^ a b "Премьер-министр Смаилов назвал основные задачи нового правительства Казахстана". Anadolu Ajansi (in Russian). 12 January 2022. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  18. ^ "11 из 20 министров, вошедших в состав нового правительства Казахстана, сохранили должности". Медиазона Центральная Азия (in Russian). 11 January 2022. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
  19. ^ Сұңқар, Ләззат (10 June 2023). "Өртті ерте анықтау жүйесі баяу енгізілуде - ҚР ТЖМ". ORDA (in Kazakh). Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  20. ^ "Смаилов о природных пожарах: Лучше переоценить ситуацию и бросить все силы, чем недооценить". KazTAG (in Russian). 13 June 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  21. ^ "Үкімет өртке қарсы киім сатып алуға 918 млн теңге бөлмек". Qaz365.kz (in Kazakh). 31 July 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  22. ^ Тақабаева, Аида (31 July 2023). "Орман өрт сөндіру стансалары қызметкерлерін өртке қарсы киіммен қамтуға 918 млн теңге бөледі". zakon.kz (in Kazakh). Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  23. ^ "Үкімет өртке қарсы киім сатып алуға 918 млн теңге бөледі". Halyq-uni.kz (in Kazakh). 31 July 2023. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  24. ^ "Kazakh government resigns, President Tokayev appoints new PM". The Kyiv Independent. 5 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
  25. ^ "Чем известен новый премьер Казахстана Олжас Бектенов". Kommersant (in Russian). 6 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  26. ^ Бигалиева, Гульвира (12 January 2022). "ҚР Премьер-Министрі халықты ревакцинациялау қарқынын арттыруды тапсырды". Kursiv Media Kazakhstan (in Kazakh). Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  27. ^ Тақабаева, Аида (12 January 2022). "Смайылов: Біздің негізгі міндетіміз – эпидемиологиялық ахуалды бақылауда ұстау". zakon.kz (in Kazakh). Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  28. ^ "Үкімет елдегі Әлеуметтік-экономикалық жағдайды тұрақтандыру жөніндегі жедел іс-қимыл жоспарын қабылдады". Almaty TV (in Kazakh). 18 January 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  29. ^ "Үкімет елдегі әлеуметтік-экономикалық ахуалды тұрақтандыру жөніндегі жобаны бекітті". qazaqstan.tv (in Kazakh). 18 January 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  30. ^ Әліпбай, Сұңғат (11 March 2022). "Табысты арттыру бағдарламасы қабылданды". Egemen Qazaqstan (in Kazakh). Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  31. ^ "Әлихан Смайылов Тоқаевтың тапсырмаларын іске асыру жөнінде кеңес өткізді". inbusiness.kz (in Kazakh). 5 January 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  32. ^ "Үкіметте Президент тапсырмаларын іске асыру жөнінде кеңес өтті". Qazaq Radioasy (in Kazakh). 5 January 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  33. ^ Қанатұлы, Сәке (5 January 2022). "Смайылов Тоқаевтың тапсырмаларын іске асыру жөнінде кеңес өткізді". NUR.KZ (in Kazakh). Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  34. ^ "Қазақстанда бензин мен дизель отынына бөлшек сауда бағасы бекітілді". www.kt.kz (in Kazakh). 15 July 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  35. ^ Сақтан, Еңлік (22 June 2023). "Сенаторлар сұйытылған газ және тұрғын үй-коммуналдық шаруашылық мәселелеріне қатысты түзетулерді мақұлдады". zakon.kz (in Kazakh). Retrieved 21 May 2024.
  36. ^ "Какие антиинфляционные меры примет правительство". Kapital.kz (in Russian). 18 January 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  37. ^ "2022-2024 жылдарға арналған Инфляцияны бақылау және төмендету бойынша шаралар кешені әзірленді". qazradio.fm (in Kazakh). 15 February 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2024.
  38. ^ Каримова, Джамиля (14 June 2022). "Экономика в Казахстане улучшилась: кабмин спешит отчитаться перед президентом". lsm.kz (in Russian). Retrieved 22 May 2024.
  39. ^ "В июле состоится расширенное заседание правительства с участием президента". Kapital.kz (in Russian). 14 June 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2024.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Finance
2018–2020 		Succeeded by
Preceded by First Deputy Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
2019–2022 		Succeeded by
Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
2022–2024 		Succeeded by
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