ASTANA – Kazakh police detained dozens of protesters who took to the streets of major cities on Saturday to mark the 79th birthday of veteran leader Nursultan Nazarbayev by demanding he cede power, Reuters witnesses said.
A former steelworker-turned-Communist apparatchik, Nazarbayev ruled the oil-rich Central Asian nation from 1989 until his resignation in March, when he installed a loyal successor while retaining sweeping powers for himself.
Nazarbayev’s new title is Yelbasy, or national leader, and he is also head of the influential security council.
His July 6 birthday is a public holiday officially linked to the inauguration of the former Soviet republic’s capital, which was renamed Nur-Sultan after his resignation. (Reuters)
