Nazarbayev lost his opponent

Arkady Dubnov

On Saturday evening, 12 November, Kazakhstan learnt that one of its most charismatic politicians, Zamanbek Nurkadilov, died. His wife found his dead body weltering in his blood. Forty minutes earlier she had called her husband to dine with them, but he answered that they would better not wait for him. According to the Almaty interior department head Orazaliyev, Zamanbek Nurkadilov was shot in his head. A Cobalt pistol was found by his body, which the Kazakh minister of the interior handed him in 1988.

Lawyer of the victim's wife, Serikalli Musin, said that the man "was shot twice in the chest on the left-hand side and once in the head, all three bullets were found." There was also found "a cushion with bullet holes," presumably used for shooting, he said. Mr. Musin doubts the suicide version, which the law-enforcement authorities are almost ready to backed. The Kazakh law-enforcement officials have advised the press that the analysis of the footage of 16 video cameras located along the border of Mr. Nurkadiov's house has shown that there were no intruders. However, al least two shots were fatal, and the late Mr. Nurkadilov couldn't take the third, control shot.

A son of the influential Alban clan that belongs to the senior (southern) zhuz of Kazakhstan, which President Nazarbayev is also a member of, Zamanbek Nurkadilov (61) headed the Almaty Oblast for a long time. After that he became mayor of Almaty, the then Kazakh capital. In 2001 through 2004 he was head of the emergencies ministry, but in March 2004 president Nazarbayev sacked him. Shortly before that the public learnt about two Mr. Nurkadilov's letters to the president, where he accused Nursultan Nazarbayev and his family members of numerous abuses.

In April 2004, Kazakhstan witnessed an unparallel event. An Almaty court accepted for investigation the lawsuit filed by the former emergencies minister against the head of state. Zamanbek Nurkadilov demanded that the President "abdicate and step down" until the trial of James Giffen is over in the US (dubbed "Kazakhgate" – Note of the Editor) in order not to compromise the government authority and the Kazakh nation."

In 2005 Nurkadilov joined the opposition movement "For A Fair Kazakhsta", whose leader and former speaker of the Kazakh parliament Zharmakhan Tuyakbay is currently running for president in the election on December 4. The Kazakh opposition believes that the authorities could view Mr. Nurkadilov as a threat. He had earned a reputation and he was capable to unite scores of discontent and bring them into the streets after the election is over. Mr. Nurkadilov told his friends that nowadays he “should be extremely careful.”

Former prime minister Akezhan Kazhegeldin, a Kazakh opposition leader forced to live in exile for eight years already, has told the Vremya Novostei newspaper that the “unexpected death of Mr. Nurkadilov speaks for the crisis of the political system unable to ensure safety of the prominent critic of this system.” “All observes have the right now to suspect that the authorities are behind the killing, said Mr. Kazhegeldin. "Mr. Nurkadilov was one of the national leaders able to lead the people in a time of crisis." “Mr. Nurkadilov was once a strong supporter of president Nazarbayev” who did a lot to prevent Mr. Kazhegeldin from running for president in 1999, the former prime minister recalled. However, Mr. Kazhegeldin has also acknowledged the “courage with which Zamanbek Nurkadilov publicly accepted his mistakes."

The two politicians met this year in Europe. It was then that Mr. Nurkadilov agreed with the former prime minister about the need to back Zharmakhan Tuyakbai in the forthcoming presidential election and refuse the idea of running for president himself. “Mr. Nurkadilov was a passionate politician, individuals like him are piece-work," said Mr. Kazhegeldin with bitterness. "Head of the Kazakh ministry of the interior ought to assume political responsibility for his death, especially on the eve of the election, and immediately resign,” he added. President Nazarbayev expressed yesterday his condolences to Mr. Nurkadilov's relatives and ordered an official investigation into the death.

http://www.vremya.ru/2005/211/5/138434.html