Imangali Nurgalievich Tasmagambetov is an old-timer of Kazakh politics, he came to power at the invitation of President Nursultan Nazarbayev and for twenty-five years he has held a number of responsible government posts. Until recently, he served as Deputy Prime Minister, but was unexpectedly appointed Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Russia. A favorite of the intelligentsia, a patron of the arts, he left a large circle of friends and many enemies in his homeland.
Soviet period
Imangali Nurgalievich Tasmagambetov was born in the village of Novobogat, Makhambet district, Guryev region, Kazakh SSR in 1956. From his youth, he was interested in the natural sciences, applied arts, the history of Kazakhstan and Central Asia, which largely influenced the choice of profession and circle of acquaintances.
Already at the age of seventeen, Imangali began to earn his own bread,having received a position as a teacher in a rural sports school, however, the passion for knowledge did not subside. He entered the West Kazakhstan University, where he conscientiously gnawed at the granite of science at the Faculty of Natural Geography.
In 1979, Imangali Tasmagambetov, whose photo did not leave the honor roll of his native university, defended his diploma with honors and received the speci alty of a teacher.
Returning to his native region, he began working at the Makhambet secondary school, where he taught geography and biology. However, the role of a simple rural teacher did not satisfy the ambitious young man, and he chose the only possible way up for a teacher - Komsomol work.
Gradually moving up the career ladder, Imangali Tasmagambetov by 1990 had grown to the position of head of the Komsomol of the Kazakh SSR. At the same time, he successfully completed his postgraduate studies and defended his Ph. D. thesis in philosophy.
Transition period
After the collapse of the USSR, Kazakhstan gained independence, the former Soviet bodies were disbanded or transformed. However, the Komsomol work remained in the hands of Imangali Tasmagambetov, however, now he began to be called not the first secretary of the Komsomol Central Committee, but the chairman of the state committee on youth affairs.
The young promising official did not go unnoticed at the very top of power, and in 1993 the former teacher was invited to work as an assistant to the President of the Republic.
An ardent admirer of history, archeology and ethnography, he activelymaintained ties with UNESCO, promoted the cultural events held by this organization. In 1993, under his patronage, the National Commission of Kazakhstan for UNESCO was established, which he himself headed.
As an aide to the president, Imangali Tasmagambetov also oversaw issues related to education and science, becoming indispensable for Nazarbayev in this regard.
In 1995, the young politician was seconded to the government, where he took the post of Deputy Prime Minister. Two years later, in addition to the high post, he received the portfolio of the Minister of Education and Culture as the main specialist in the country's leadership on these issues.
Wandering in the labyrinth of power
Working in the government, Imangali Tasmagambetov has established himself as a competent and skillful organizer, able to create an effective team around him. In less than two years, Nazarbayev decided to return his ward closer to him and appointed him to the post of deputy head of the presidential administration of Kazakhstan.
Also, the statesman worked as the first assistant to the head of state, after which he was rather unexpectedly transferred to independent leadership work in the regions, becoming the head of the Atyrau region. Here he worked for a short time and a year later he was returned to the government, where he again took the post of Deputy Prime Minister.
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In 2002, Imangali Tasmagambetov reached, as it seemed, the peak of his career, taking officechairman of the cabinet of ministers. He did not experience presidential ambitions, which he spoke about repeatedly, invariably emphasizing his loy alty to Nursultan Nazarbayev and obsequiously calling himself his “spiritual product.”
However, all power is primarily associated with responsibility, which the lover of archeology and applied arts has experienced in his own skin.
During his tenure as prime minister, a loud scandal erupted over the discovery of an unidentified one billion dollar cash account outside the republic.
It was Imangali Tasmagambetov who was delegated to report to the parliamentary commission investigating this incident. According to him, a secret account abroad was opened with the consent of the president to process the transfer of funds from the privatization of the Tengiz fields.
Imangali Tasmagambetov also said that a simultaneous contribution to the Kazakh economy of this amount of money would cause wild inflation, which explains the fact that these funds were stored abroad, and swore that a gradual transfer of money to the National Fund was envisaged Kazakhstan.
Mayor of two capitals
The last initiative of Imangali Tasmagambetov as prime minister was the land reform, which provides for private ownership of land. However, this bill aroused resistance from a certain part of the population, as well as from parliament. Despite the fact that the law was still passed, the disgruntled prime minister resigned.
Having worked for some time inAdministration of the President, he was appointed Mayor of Almaty in 2004. Here he conscientiously worked until 2008, solving the problems of transport interchanges and the improvement of the former capital.
In 2008, taking into account the successful experience of leading the city, Nazarbayev appointed Imangali Tasmagambetov as the head of Astana. He ruled the new capital of the state for six years, thus setting a record for tenure as mayor.
In 2014, Imangali Tasmagambetov once again returned to the government, where he alternately served as Minister of Defense, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs.
In 2017, the patriarch of Kazakh politics was unexpectedly delegated to Moscow to act as the Republic's Ambassador to Russia.
Imangali Tasmagambetov and his family
Photos of the politician outside his offices indicate that he has many relatives and friends. He met his wife Klara Daumovna at the university, where they formed a young family. Over the years of marriage, Imangali Tasmagambetov became the happy father of two daughters and one son.
The elder Asel married Kenes Rakishev, who became a successful businessman and billionaire and now heads one of the largest banks in Kazakhstan.
The youngest daughter Sophia inherited her father's passion for culture, studied at the London College of Art and now works as a production designer.
The politician's brothers and sisters also got along well in life, holding important positions in different regions of Kazakhstan. ImangaliTasmagambetov and his family often become the target of attacks by opposition forces, who bring charges of corruption against the official.
