Almaty gets new Mayor from Nur Otan

Almaty city has changed hands, Tengrinews reports citing the official Twitter of Akorda.

Baurzhan Baibek has been appointed the new Akim (Mayor) of Almaty. He replaced Akhtemzhan Yessimov in the position.

Former Almaty Mayor Akhtemzhan Yessimov was appointed to lead the Astana EXPO-2017 steering company.

"N.Nazarbayev has presented Almaty's new Akim B.Baibek," Akorda tweeted.

Baurzhan Baibek is an Almaty native born on March 19, 1974. He has three degrees - in Pedagogy, International Economy and Music. One of the degrees he got after winning a Bolashak scholarship, the government-sponsored scholarship program to facilitate human development in Kazakhstan and enable the most brilliant young people to study abroad at the expense of the state. After graduation, Baibek joined the diplomatic service of the General Consulate of Kazakhstan and Embassy of Kazakhstan in Germany.

Since 2002, Baibek worked at the Presidential Administration. In 2008 he was appointed Chairman of the Bolashak Scholarship Recipients Association. A year later, Baibek became Deputy Chief of the Presidential Administration. In 2013, he worked as First Deputy Chairman of Nur Otan political party, the ruling party of Kazakhstan.

Akhmetzhan Yessimov, the replaced Mayor of Almaty, had held the position for more then seven years, since April 2008. He has been appointed Chairman of the Management Committee of Astana EXPO-2017 National Company.

There has also been two other appointment today: the former Akim (Governor) of South Kazakhstan Oblast Askar Myrzakhmetov was appointed the new First Deputy Chairman of Nur Otan, to fill in the position that became vacant after Baurzhan Baibek was appointed the new Akim of Almaty.

Beibut Atamkulov, the former Secretrary of the Ministry of Investments and Development became the new Akim of South Kazakshtan Oblast.