Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbaev, who celebrated his 77th birthday in July, has signaled that he does not plan to retire from office.
Speaking to journalists in Astana on September 14, Nazarbaev said he likes "his job, which requires good health and a lot of psychological and emotional energy."
"My liking for this job helps deal with the pressure...It may be difficult, but I am accustomed to planning my next day, carrying it out, and, in the evening, being happy. You should do the same," Nazarbaev told journalists.
Nazarbaev is the only president of a former Soviet republic who has ruled since before the collapse of the Soviet Union.
After the death a year ago of another longtime leader in the former Soviet Union, Uzbekistan's President Islam Karimov, many in Kazakhstan have speculated that Nazarbaev was preparing to retire and was working on choosing a successor.
Nazarbaev also said on September 14 that U.S. President Donald Trump recently assured him that Western sanctions imposed on Russia would not affect Kazakhstan.