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Kazakh Succession Remains Unclear- Nazarbayev’s Daughter Not Nominated | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Dariga Nazarbayeva, Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister and daughter of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, visits a polling station during a snap parliamentary election in Astana, Kazakhstan.


Dariga Nazarbayeva, Kazakhstan's deputy prime minister and daughter of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, visits a polling station during a snap parliamentary election in Astana, Kazakhstan, March 20, 2016.

Dariga Nazarbayeva, Kazakhstan’s deputy prime minister and daughter of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, visits a polling station during a snap parliamentary election in Astana, Kazakhstan, March 20, 2016.

ALMATY- It is not likey for Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s daughter, Dariga, to become a member of parliament in spite of running on the list of his Nur Otan party, as revealed by a document on Thursday, which opens the door widely to raising questions on the succession in Central Asia’s biggest economy.

Current deputy prime minister, Dariga Nazarbayeva was expected by few observers to join the lower house after a parliamentary election on Sunday and become its speaker, making her a potential successor to the 75-year-old president.

Nevertheless, even though Nur Otan gained eighty two percent support in the vote, which Western observers say fell short of democratic standards, Nazarbayeva was still not among the nominated MPs on Nur Otan’s list of deputies published by Nazarbayev’s office.

Moscow-based political analyst Arkady Dubnov Moscow-based political analyst said that Nazarbayev has changed his goals in regard of a potential reshuffle, by the time the election campaign was already disclosing. He added, “Serious fighting between different groups continues,” and said that while Nazarbayev “will not give up his powers for as long as he lives”.

Expecting, or knowing who might take over from Nazarbayev has been a question that wandered forgein inverster’s minds and left them puzzled for years; with billions of dollars in exposure to the oil-rich nation.

The former steel worker has run the nation of 18 million people since 1989, first as Communist party boss and then as elected president with sweeping powers. He secured another five-year term in an election last April but has not announced any clear succession plans.