Born: 25 November 1937 in the village of Kyzyl-Kesek in the Aksuat District of Semipalatinsk Oblast

Married with two children

1960 -- graduation from Kazakh Agricultural Institute

1960-63 -- main agronomist on the Skotovod and Ulguli-Malshi collective farms

1963-66 -- graduate student at Kazakh Agricultural Institute

1966-67 -- Senior researcher for the economy and organization of agriculture at Kazakh Scientific-Research Institute

1967-82 -- head of subdepartment, deputy chief, departmental chief, deputy chairman of Gosplan Kazakh SSR

1982-85 -- first deputy minister of agriculture, Kazakh SSR

December 1985-July1987 -- first deputy chairman of Gosagroprom, Kazakh SSR

July 1987-April 1990 -- standing chairman of Kazakh SSR under Sovmin

April 1990-December 1991 -- deputy chairman of the Kazakh SSR Supreme Soviet

October-December 1991 -- acting chairman of Supreme Soviet

December 1991-December 1993 -- chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Kazakhstan

1994-96 -- chairman of the coordinating council of social association Respublika

April 1996-present -- first secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan

10 January 1999 -- made unsuccessful bid for the presidency

October 1999 -- co-chairman of the Forum of Democratic Forces

December 1999 -- loses to Zharmakhan Tuyakbai in election for speaker of Mazhilis