Ermukhamet Ertysbayev

Ermukhamet Qabidenuly Ertysbayev ( _kk. Ертісбаев, Ермұхамет Қабиденұлы) served as the Minister of Culture, Information, and Sport in the Government of Kazakhstan until President Nursultan Nazarbayev split the Ministry of Culture, Information and Sport into a Culture and Information Ministry and a Tourism and Sport Ministry through a presidential decree on 27 March 2006. Nazarbayev appointed Ertysbayev the Minister of Culture and Information and Temirkhan Dosmukhanbetov the Minister of Tourism. [http://www.rferl.org/newsline/2006/03/280306.asp Kazakh President Splits Ministry] RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty]

Ertysbayev has been called Nazarbayev's "wily political adviser." [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/6dee8d84-607d-11da-a3a6-0000779e2340,dwp_uuid=4e612cca-6707-11da-a650-0000779e2340,print=yes.html Election history in Kazakhstan leaves opposition with little hope] Financial Times]

Altynbek Sarsenbayev

A court sentenced Erzhan Utembayev, the head of the Senate administration, to twenty years in prison for his involvement in the assassination of opposition politician Altynbek Sarsenbayev on 11 February 2006. Dariga Nazarbayeva, one of the most powerful Kazakh politicians and daughter of the President, responded to the conviction by calling on Nurtai Abykayev, the Speaker of the Senate, to resign. Global Insight, an international think tank, linked her criticism of Abykayev to her rivalry with Timur Kulibayev, the husband of her sister Dinara. Global Insight reports that the move "backfired" and President Nazarbayev had Ertysbayev take control of the Khabar television channel while coercing his daughter to merge the Asar party with the Otan party. [http://www.globalinsight.com/SDA/SDADetail6811.htm Questions Linger as Kazakh Court Convicts All 10 Defendants for Opposition Leader's Murder] Global Insight] Bagila Bukharbayeva of the "Associated Press" also drew this conclusion. [http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=2114884&page=1 Kazakh Leader, Daughter at Political Odds] Associated Press] Ertysbayev said the take over of Khabar would help Kazakhstan improve's "information security." [http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=53314&SelectRegion=Asia Central Asia] IRIN] [http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=42513 Kazakh government to take over TV channel] Turkish Daily News]

Tulip Revolution

In March 2005 Ertysbayev called the possibility of a color revolution occurring in Kazakhstan as it did in Kyrgyzstan, "nonsense." The weakness of Kyrgyz President Askar Akayev led to a "mass spontaneous riot." The political opposition in Kazakhstan will "have to wait for another 10 years" before they can take control of the government because Nazarbayev is popular and will be reelected due to the strength of the economy. He called Kazakhstan a "very strong state" that if need be, will "quell a mob... with clubs and tear gas." [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2005/03/30/international/i104209S69.DTL&type=printable Kazakhstan Opposition Promises Change] SF Gate]

Interviews

Associated Press: Borat

Reporters for "Kazakhstanskaya Pravda" interviewed Ertysbayev in November 2006, asking him how he felt about British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's movie "". Ertysbayev said the film "above all mocks American manners and rural people and their intellect. Sasha Cohen's 'art' clearly isn't a masterpiece... But in reality there are truly funny parts. And people like to laugh." However, he criticized Cohen's sense of humor as "black, insulting, insolent, and openly stupid... Paradoxically, after the film's release, we have seen a more ardent and avid interest in Kazakhstan." [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,20794379-1702,00.html 'Funny' Borat film pokes fun mostly at US: Kazakh official] The Australian]

Interfax Agency: Nurzhan Subkhanberdin

When Interfax interviewed Ertysbayev in November 2004 he referred to Nurzhan Subkhanberdin, chairman of Kazkommertsbank bank, as a Kazakhstani "Khodorkovsky." Ertysbayev, speaking in favor of legislation that would limit the abilities of "various elite groups" to influence politics through lobbying, told Interfax that "in the transition period, in the post-Soviet area, any attempt from the oligarchs to influence... the president, the Parliament and the government can result in serious political cataclysms." Critics, such as reporters for "Respublika", said the government's de-monopolization campaign would give Kazakhstanis a chance "to see how the government will put monopolists and their protectors from the head of state's inner circle in their place." [http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/business/articles/eav111804.shtml Nazarbayev seeks to close Kazakhstani political sphere by opening economy] EurasiaNet]

"Assandi-Times" controversy

Unknown individuals distributed a fake edition of the "Assandi-Times" on 4 June 2004. The paper, which has become the most read paper in Kazakhstan for its criticism of corruption, instead criticized political rivals of President Nazarbayev in the fake edition. Galina Dyrdina, deputy editor of the "Assandi-Times", said, "We confidently state that the publication of the fake "Assandi-Times" was sanctioned either by the president's administration or by structures close to it." Ertysbayev said Dyrdina's statements about government involvement "did not reflect reality." [http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=41416&SelectRegion=Central_Asia&SelectCountry=CENTRAL_ASIA Central Asia] IRIN]

References

External links

* [http://eurasia.org.ru/archive/english/decembre/ELC0128.htm Ermukhamet Ertysbayev: 'The contention may prove quite an exciting one.']
* [http://kazakhstan.neweurasia.net/?m=200511 If the election is not fair, I will go out on the street myself]
* [http://www.kazakhembus.com/120502.html New permanent Council on Democratization established, Provides platform for direct dialogue of all those willing to get engaged]
* [http://www.cacianalyst.org/view_article.php?articleid=4596 Kazakhstan learns to love Borat]
* [http://www.internews.org/articles/2004/20040422_eurasianet_kaz.htm Eurasia Media Forum: Central Asia's Masters of Spin]
* [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/4e2d63bc-6000-11da-a3a6-0000779e2340,_i_rssPage=9d5b9ebe-c8bc-11d7-81c6-0820abe49a01.html Fair elections may fall victim to Kazakh success]
* [http://www.silkroadstudies.org/new/docs/CEF/Maria_Kielmas.pdf China’s Foreign Energy Asset Acquisitions: From Shopping Spree to Fire Sale?]
* [http://www.kub.kz/print.php?sid=13383 OSCE asks Kazakhstan to withdraw media law amendments]
* [http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/05/c68b3eb0-8c9f-4ae1-9b39-344a33610ea7.html Kazakhstan: Apparent Rift Opens Within Nazarbaev Family]
* [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601088&sid=aAs8KyTEq8uE&refer=muse Kazakh Minister Says `Borat' Film Has Lifted Nation's Profile]