Alikhan Smailov named Kazakhstan’s Prime Minister

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev nominated Alikhan Smailov for Prime Minister on January 11, and the lower house of parliament swiftly voted him in during a session broadcast live on state television, reports Reuters.

Alikhan Smailov (49) served as the first Deputy Prime Minister in the previous cabinet which Mr. Tokayev dismissed last week amid violent unrest in the oil-rich Central Asian nation.

Kazakh security forces have detained 9,900 people over the unrest, Kazakhstan's interior ministry said on January 11.