Mukhtar Kul-Mukhammed

Mukhtar Abraruly Kul-Mukhammed (, , , ; born 12 December 1960) is a Kazakh statesman and politician, Deputy of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Doctor of Law (1999), Professor, Member of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Biography

Early life and career Kul-Mukhammed was born to a Kazakh Muslim family in Chuguchak, China. In 1961, He along with his family returned to their historic homeland of Kazakhstan and settled in the village of Makanchi in the district of East Kazakhstan Region. In 1982, he graduated from the Al-Farabi Kazakh National University with a degree in journalism. From 1983 to 1992, Kul-Mukhammed had been holding positions such as a Scientific Editor, a Senior Scientific Editor, head of Editorial Office of Philosophy, Law and Sociology, an executive secretary and deputy editor of the main edition of the Kazakh Soviet Encyclopedia. In 2001, by the decision of the Presidium of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 31 May 2001, he was awarded an academic title of Professor in Law. While serving as the akim, Kul-Mukhammed became the Special Representative of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Baikonur complex on 21 March 2008.

On 12 May 2008, Kul-Mukhammed became the Minister of Culture until 23 January 2012, when he was appointed as the State Secretary of Kazakhstan. From 16 January 2013 to 11 March 2014, Kul-Mukhammed served as the Minister of Culture and Information. From 2014 to 2016, he periodically held posts as the advisor to the President of Kazakhstan.

In 2015, he led public campaign in the support of the candidacy of Nursultan Nazarbayev in the 2015 Kazakh presidential election.

On 6 May 2016, Kul-Mukhammed was appointed as the First Deputy Chairman of Nur Otan. He held that position until he was dismissed on 1 February 2018, after becoming a member of the Senate of Kazakhstan. Since 28 March 2019, he's been the head of the Senate Committee on International Relations, Defense and Security. On 23 January 2023, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Tokayev, signed a decree on the termination of the powers of the deputy of the Senate, Kul-Mukhammed Mukhtar.