Senate Speaker to be named April 15

The new Senate Speaker is to be announced April 15, 2011, Interfax – Kazakhstan reports, citing some Senators. “It is going to happen tomorrow”, Senator Kuanysh Sultanov told. Mr. Tasbai Simambayev, another Senator, announced that tomorrow the Senate would be seeing off Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the outgoing Senate Speaker, as he has been named the new Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva. In his new capacity, Mr. Tokayev will serve as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s representative to the Conference on Disarmament. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan as the new Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) March 11. He succeeds Sergei Ordzhonikidze. Before that Mr. Tokayev was the Chair of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan. He has also served as Minister for Foreign Affairs (1994-1999) and Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2002-2007). Mr. Tokayev also served as Prime Minister of Kazakhstan from 1999 to 2002. The Senate speaker is, according to the constitution, first in line to assume executive authority in the event that the president dies in office, or is incapacitated.

The new Senate Speaker is to be announced April 15, 2011, Interfax – Kazakhstan reports, citing some Senators. “It is going to happen tomorrow”, Senator Kuanysh Sultanov told. Mr. Tasbai Simambayev, another Senator, announced that tomorrow the Senate would be seeing off Mr. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the outgoing Senate Speaker, as he has been named the new Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva. In his new capacity, Mr. Tokayev will serve as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s representative to the Conference on Disarmament. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the appointment of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan as the new Director-General of the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) March 11. He succeeds Sergei Ordzhonikidze. Before that Mr. Tokayev was the Chair of the Senate of the Parliament of Kazakhstan. He has also served as Minister for Foreign Affairs (1994-1999) and Secretary of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2002-2007). Mr. Tokayev also served as Prime Minister of Kazakhstan from 1999 to 2002. The Senate speaker is, according to the constitution, first in line to assume executive authority in the event that the president dies in office, or is incapacitated.