Bakhytjan Abdiruly Sagintayev ( kk, Бақытжан Әбдірұлы Сағынтаев, ''Baqytjan Äbdırūly Sağyntaev,'' ; born 13 October 1963) is a
Kazakh politician who was a
Prime Minister of Kazakhstan
The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan ( Kazakh Cyrillic: Қазақстан Республикасының Премьер-Министрі, Kazakh Latin: Qazaqstan Respublikasynyñ Premier-Ministrı, ; russian: Премьер-Министр Респ ...
, from 9 September 2016 until his resignation on 21 February 2019.
He served as the
Äkim of Almaty
The Äkim ( Kazakh: әкім, äkım) of Almaty is the chief authority in the city of Almaty. The position was established in 1992.
List Äkıms of Almaty (1992–present)
See also
*List of Akims Astana City
*Akim
An ''akim'' ( kk, әкім ...
from 28 June 2019 until he was replaced by
Erbolat Dosaev
Erbolat Asqarbekūly Dosayev ( kk, Ерболат Асқарбекұлы Досаев, translit=, ; born 21 May 1970) is a Kazakh politician serving as an Äkim of Almaty, äkım of Almaty since 31 January 2022. Prior to that, he was a National ...
on 31 January 2022 following the
2022 Kazakh unrest
The 2022 Kazakh unrest, also known as Bloody January () or the January tragedy (), was a series of mass protests that began in Kazakhstan on 2 January 2022 after a sudden sharp increase in liquefied gas prices following the lifting of a governm ...
which greatly affected the city.
Early life and education
Sagintayev was born in the village of
Usharal
Usharal ( kz, Үшарал, ''Üşaral''; russian: Ушарал) is a town in the Alakol District of Almaty Region in south-eastern Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainl ...
. His father, Abdyr Sagintayev (1921–1986), was a
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
veteran who worked as the director of the Talas Sheep Breeding Plant.
In 1985, Sagintayev graduated from the
Kazakh State University
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University ( kz, Әл-Фараби атындағы Қазақ ұлттық университеті, Äl-Farabi atyndağy Qazaq Ūlttyq Universitetı), also called KazGU or KazNU, is a university in Almaty, Kazakhstan. ...
with a degree in economics. That same year, he became a lecturer at the Department of Political Economy of the Alma-Ata Institute of National Economy. From 1988 to 1992, he worked at the Kazakh State University, where he went from an assistant to an assistant professor of sociology. After Kazakhstan's independence from the Soviet Union, Sagintayev was engaged in entrepreneurial activity.
Political career
In 1998, he was appointed as deputy akim of the
Jambyl Region
Jambyl or Zhambyl Region ( kk, Жамбыл облысы, translit=Jambyl oblysy; russian: Жамбылская область, Zhambylskaya oblast), formerly known as Dzhambul Region (russian: Джамбульская область, Dzhambulska ...
. From 1999 to 2002, Sagintayev served as deputy chairman of the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Small Business Support, Regulation of Natural Monopolies, Protection of Competition and Support for Small Business. From 2002 to 2004, he served as the First Deputy Chairman of the Agency for Regulation of Natural Monopolies and Competition Protection.
On 29 September 2004, Sagintayev was reappointed as the chairman of the Agency for Regulation of Natural Monopolies of Kazakhstan.
On 11 December 2007, Sagintayev was appointed as the Head of the
Prime Minister's Office. He served that position until 30 September 2008, when he became akim of
Pavlodar Region
Pavlodar Region ( kk, Павлодар облысы, translit=Pavlodar oblysy; russian: Павлодарская область, translit=Pavlodarskaya oblast) is a region of Kazakhstan. The population of the region was and ; the latest official ...
.
On 20 January 2012, Sagintayev was appointed as
Minister of Economic Development and Trade. On 24 September 2012, he became First Deputy Chairman of
Nur Otan
Amanat (), previously known as Nur Otan () until 2022, is a big tent political party in Kazakhstan. Being the largest to date, it has been the ruling party of the country from 1999, with a membership claiming to be of over 762,000 people in 2007. ...
. On 16 January 2013, Sagintayev was appointed as the
First Deputy Prime Minister
A deputy prime minister or vice prime minister is, in some countries, a government minister who can take the position of acting prime minister when the prime minister is temporarily absent. The position is often likened to that of a vice president, ...
and
Minister of Regional Development
Minister may refer to:
* Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric
** Minister (Catholic Church)
* Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department)
** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...
.
Prime Minister of Kazakhstan (2016–2019)
On 8 September 2016, Sagintayev was nominated by President
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev ( kk, Нұрсұлтан Әбішұлы Назарбаев, Nūrsūltan Äbişūlı Nazarbaev, ; born 6 July 1940) is a Kazakh politician and military officer who served as the first President of Kazakhstan, in off ...
for the post of the
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...
. The following day, on 9 September, Sagintayev's candidacy was approved by the
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
. Shortly after on 28 September, he was appointed as the chairman of the Board of Directors of JSC
Samruk-Kazyna
Samruk-Kazyna ( kk, Самұрық-Қазына, translit=Samūryq-Qazyna), officially known as the National Welfare Fund "Samruk-Kazyna" ( kk, «Самұрық-Қазына» ұлттық әл-ауқат қоры» Акционерлік Қо ...
.
In November 2016, Sagintayev drew attention to the number of reductions in pediatricians in the country. He supported Deputy PM
Imangali Tasmagambetov
Imangali Nurgaliuly Tasmagambetov ( kk, Иманғали Нұрғалиұлы Тасмағамбетов, ''İmаnğаli Nūrğаliūly Таsmаğаmbеtоv''; born 9 December 1956) is a Kazakh politician and diplomat, who is the current Secretary ...
's initiative to restore the faculties of pediatrics in Kazakh medical universities. Sagintayev also instructed to tighten control over the activities of veterinary services and ensure the entry of cattle burial grounds and anthrax burials in the information system of the State Land Cadastre.
In response to inflation, he sought to prevent the continuing rise of food prices for 2017. Despite the promises, the inflation of that year reached 7.1%. In response, Sagintayev blamed local governments for their failure in increased prices of food, suggesting
äkıms (local heads) to punish deputy äkıms who he claimed to be responsible for soaring costs.
Sagintayev slowly drew criticism from President Nazarbayev in relation to his policies towards the self-employed population. In October 2018, Sagintayev's cabinet was eventually threatened to be sacked by Nazarbayev who went as far as suggesting being replaced by Singaporean and Japanese officials. On 30 January 2019, at an enlarged meeting of the government, Nazarbayev publicly slammed Sagintayev and his ministers as "cowards".
On 4 February 2019, a fire erupted in an apartment in
Astana
Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan.
The city lies on the banks of the Ishim (river), Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmo ...
, killing five children who belonged to a single family. This sparked fury and protests from the mothers who demanded proper housing, more kindergartens and financial support for families owning more than one child. Sagintayev expressed his condolences to the tragedy and told his cabinet to be stricter in fire safety inspection at homes to prevent incidents.
Sagintayev continued to serve as the PM until 21 February 2019 when the government was dismissed due to lack of economic development. He was replaced by
Askar Mamin
Asqar Uzaqbaiuly Mamin ( kk, Асқар Ұзақбайұлы Мамин, Asqar Ūzaqbaiūly Mamin, ; born 23 October 1965) is a Kazakh politician and economist who served as the Prime Minister of Kazakhstan from 2019 to 2022, resigning due to pre ...
who was appointed as Acting PM until being confirmed by the
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
on 25 February.
Post-premiership
On 1 March 2019, Sagintayev became the
State Secretary of Kazakhstan
), formerly the State Secretary of Kazakhstan ( kk, Қазақстан Республикасының мемлекеттік хатшысы) is an appointed post under the direct supervision of the President of Kazakhstan
The president of the Rep ...
. He shortly served the position before becoming the head of the
Presidential Administration of Kazakhstan
, native_name_a =
, native_name_r =
, type =
, seal = Flag of the President of Kazakhstan.svg
, seal_width = 150
, seal_caption = Flag of the President of Kazakhstan
, logo =
, logo_width ...
on 24 March.
Äkim of Almaty (2019–2022)
On 28 June 2019, Sagintayev was appointed as the akim of
Almaty
Almaty (; kk, Алматы; ), formerly known as Alma-Ata ( kk, Алма-Ата), is the List of most populous cities in Kazakhstan, largest city in Kazakhstan, with a population of about 2 million. It was the capital of Kazakhstan from 1929 to ...
, outlining his goal in making the city a "safe, comfortable, modern metropolis where every Almaty citizen has the opportunity for a decent life." He ordered the police to conduct an analysis of the criminal situation in the city, to intensify the fight against hooliganism and robbery, and to increase the number of surveillance cameras on the streets. In response with dealing in crimes, 32 police posts were installed, with 4 in each city district. The location of the posts was determined based on the incidents of offenses and crimes that occurred in the area.
Sagintayev announced on his
Instagram
Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
page on 19 August 2019 about returning the previous speed limit on Al-Farabi Avenue from 60 km back to 80 km after many complains by citizens.
On 29 August 2019, he proposed planting at least a million new trees in Almaty and planned to actively work with the government and Samruk Energy JSC to reduce emissions from stationary sources.
On 27 November 2019, at the Almaty Investment Forum, Sagintayev remarked the city should be at the top 100 best cities in the world in terms of quality of life and business opportunities, in which he used
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
as an example.
Sagintayev assessed that the New Almaty project is "one of the important tasks" for the city, which offered businesses to invest in the development of the territory on the outskirts of the city, which would amount to a total of one trillion tenge.
At the annual briefing of the Central Communications Service held on 7 December 2020, Sagintayev announced that the economic situation in the city had been stabilized. He insisted that Almaty retains the potential for rapid recovery in the post-epidemic period and that it remains an international center of investment activity. In response to the fate of
Almaty Light Rail
The ''Almaty Light Rail'' is a light rail line planned to serve Kazakhstan's largest city Almaty.
Background
Trams in Almaty served the city between 1937 and 2015. It was one of the four tramways of Kazakhstan which continuously operated from ...
, Sagintayev said that the project is underway and that it needs financial model for it to work.
On 29 January 2022, it was speculated that Sagintayev would be dismissed from the post after President Tokayev hadn't rule out in his removal, which he called Sagintayev "a conscientious person in terms of the performance of official duties" although adding that he would take account in regards to the mood by the Almaty residents. On 31 January, Sagintayev's dismissal was made public in which according to a presidential decree, was due to transfer to another unspecified job. He was replaced by
Erbolat Dosaev
Erbolat Asqarbekūly Dosayev ( kk, Ерболат Асқарбекұлы Досаев, translit=, ; born 21 May 1970) is a Kazakh politician serving as an Äkim of Almaty, äkım of Almaty since 31 January 2022. Prior to that, he was a National ...
, who served as the
National Bank
In banking, the term national bank carries several meanings:
* a bank owned by the state
* an ordinary private bank which operates nationally (as opposed to regionally or locally or even internationally)
* in the United States, an ordinary p ...
chairman prior.
COVID-19
Following the
COVID-19 outbreak in Kazakhstan in March 2020, 27 roadblocks were installed to prevent citizens from traveling in or out of the city. On 4 April 2020, Sagintayev approved the construction of an infectious disease hospital, which was opened on 24 April. On 16 April, Sagintayev announced that mass gathering events, including sports, would be cancelled until 30 June.
In May 2020, after the announcement of easing lockdowns nationwide, religious spaces and retailers began functioning in the city with quarantine measures. Roadblocks were lifted on 1 June 2020. Sagintayev–in turn–urged all Almaty residents to wear face coverings. However, after an increase in COVID-19 cases, strict measures were taken with cut in working hours and government employees being instructed to switch to remote work. By 2 September 2020, Sagintayev announced that the situation was stabilized. Telling Almaty citizens to adhere to the mask orders to prevent the rise of cases. In October 2020, he warned of a possible second wave of the infections during a live interview on Almaty TV channel, stating that the city was prepared to deal with new cases if necessary.
Following an increase of cases in the Almaty, Sagintayev announced in new restrictions being placed, noting that the city would not go under lockdown unless there would be a daily growth of more than 100–150 infected persons at the hospitals.
2022 Kazakh unrest
During the
2022 Kazakh unrest
The 2022 Kazakh unrest, also known as Bloody January () or the January tragedy (), was a series of mass protests that began in Kazakhstan on 2 January 2022 after a sudden sharp increase in liquefied gas prices following the lifting of a governm ...
, Sagintayev addressed Almaty residents regarding the situation, in which he claimed that city had been taken under the control by the authorities and urged everyone not to succumb to "provocations and lawlessness" after riots had broken out on the night of 4 January 2022 which resulted in the state of emergency being introduced.
Despite Sagintayev's words, unrest continued getting worse in Almaty, leading to gunfire exchange in the streets, widespread looting of stores and banks, as well as administrative and television station buildings being burned down. It was reported that Sagintayev on the evening of 6 January had come under gunfire while being inside the car, resulting in his driver being hit by a bullet while Sagintayev was left uninjured, managing to flee the scene with the bullet-stricken driver. According to Sagintayev himself, he claimed that the incident was an assassination attempt, describing it as "organized terrorist actions".
On 8 January 2022, just days after staying out of public eye, Sagintayev made his reappearance at the meeting from where he instructed city officials to start clearing neighbourhoods occupied by the armed militants, as well as normalize the situation with food supply and security.
Following the unrest, a petition calling for Sagintayev's dismissal was launched, upon which gained thousands of signatures in just few hours.
From there, Sagintayev was criticized for failing to boost morale to the city residents, refusing to go on air with an appeal and staying out of public for days during the riots.
In response, Sagintayev asserted that "every criticism is helpful" and that his understanding of responsibility is to "provide the entire life support system of the city".
Other activities
Corporate boards
* Small Business Development Fund, chairman of the board of directors (2001–2002)
*
Kazakhstan Temir Zholy
Kazakhstan Temir Joly (KTJ; kk, Қазақстан Темір Жолы, Qazaqstan Temır Joly (QTJ)), also National Company Kazakhstan Temir Joly, is the national railway company of Kazakhstan.
Organization
Founded by the government in 2002 as ...
, member of the board of directors (2004–2005)
* KEGOC, member of the board of directors (2004–2006)
*
Kazakhtelecom
Kazakhtelecom JSC ( kk, Қазақтелеком, ''Qazaqtelekom''; russian: Казахтелеком) is the largest telecommunication company in Kazakhstan.
Shareholders
* 51.00% - AO Samruk-Kazyna JSC - fund of national wealth
* 16.90% - Bo ...
, member of the board of directors (2004–2006)
*
Samruk-Kazyna
Samruk-Kazyna ( kk, Самұрық-Қазына, translit=Samūryq-Qazyna), officially known as the National Welfare Fund "Samruk-Kazyna" ( kk, «Самұрық-Қазына» ұлттық әл-ауқат қоры» Акционерлік Қо ...
, member of the board of directors (2012)
* KazAgro, chairman of the board of directors (from 2012)
*
Kazatomprom, chairman of the board of directors (2015)
* Astana EXPO-2017 (since 2015)
* KazAgro, chairman of the board of directors (2016)
*
Kazakhstan Temir Zholy
Kazakhstan Temir Joly (KTJ; kk, Қазақстан Темір Жолы, Qazaqstan Temır Joly (QTJ)), also National Company Kazakhstan Temir Joly, is the national railway company of Kazakhstan.
Organization
Founded by the government in 2002 as ...
, member of the board of directors (from 2016)
*
Samruk-Kazyna
Samruk-Kazyna ( kk, Самұрық-Қазына, translit=Samūryq-Qazyna), officially known as the National Welfare Fund "Samruk-Kazyna" ( kk, «Самұрық-Қазына» ұлттық әл-ауқат қоры» Акционерлік Қо ...
, chairman of the board of directors (2016–2019)
* Kazakh Invest, chairman of the board of directors (from 2017)
*
Eurasian Economic Commission
The Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC) is the executive body of the Eurasian Economic Union responsible for implementing decisions, upholding the EEU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the Eurasian Economic Union. The main task of t ...
, Member of the Board (2022)
* Financial and Business Association of Eurasian Cooperation, Chairman Supervisory Board (August 11, 2022)
Non-profit organisations
* Council of Foreign Investors under the President, member (from 2012, 2016)
Awards
*
Order of Parasat
The Order of Parasat ( kk, Парасат ордені, ''Parasat ordeni''; the Order of Nobility) is an order awarded by the government of Kazakhstan. It was established in 1993.
The order is awarded to notable figures in the fields of science, ...
(2013)
*
Order of Kurmet
The Order of Kurmet ( kk, Құрмет ордені, ''Qurmet ordeni'') or the Order of Honour is an order awarded by the government of Kazakhstan since 1993. It is awarded to citizens of Kazakhstan who have exhibited merit in the fields of econo ...
(2008)
*
(2011)
*
![Medal25RK](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Medal25RK.png)
Medal "25 Years of Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan" (2016)
*
Medal "10 Years of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan" (2005)
*
Medal "10 Years of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan" (2005)
*
Medal "10 Years of Astana"
The Medal "10 years of Astana" ( Kazakh: Астанаға 10 жыл, ''Astanaǵa 10 jyl'') is a state award of Kazakhstan. It was first introduced on May 6, 2008, in honor of 10 year anniversary of the city of Astana.
List of Recipients
* Nursu ...
(2008)
*
![Medal20Astana](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e0/Medal20Astana.png)
Medal "20 Years of Astana" (2018)
*
Order of Friendship
The Order of Friendship (russian: Орден Дружбы, ') is a state decoration of the Russian Federation established by Boris Yeltsin by presidential decree 442 of 2 March 1994 to reward Russian and foreign nationals whose work, deeds a ...
(Russia, 2014)
*
![Rib_Medal_For_his_contribution_to_the_creation_of_the_EEU](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Rib_Medal_For_his_contribution_to_the_creation_of_the_EEU.png)
Medal "For Contribution to the Creation of the
Eurasian Economic Union
The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU or EEU)EAEU is the acronym used on thorganisation's website However, many media outlets use the acronym EEU. is an economic union of some post-Soviet states located in Eurasia. The Treaty on the Eurasian Econo ...
", 1st class (Eurasian Economic Union, 2015)
Personal life
He is an author of a number of scientific works, publications on state regulation of the natural monopolies, small and medium business development.
Sagintayev is married and has two children.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sagintayev, Bakhytzhan
1963 births
Kazakhstani people of Uyghur descent
Living people
Nur Otan politicians
Prime Ministers of Kazakhstan
People from Jambyl Region
First Deputy Prime Ministers of Kazakhstan
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University alumni
Recipients of the Order of Parasat
Recipients of the Order of Kurmet