President Tokayev appoints new mayor of Almaty

President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has appointed Darkhan Satubaldy as the new akim (mayor) of Almaty, the country’s largest city.

«To appoint Satybaldy Darkhan Amangeldyuly as akim of Almaty, relieving him of his previous position,» the president’s edict reads.

Before this appointment, the president dismissed Yerbolat Dossayev from the position of akim. Dossayev had served in the role since Jan. 31, 2022, succeeding Bakytzhan Sagintayev.

Satubaldy was born in 1974 in the Turkestan region (then known as the South Kazakhstan region). In 2022, he was appointed akim of the Turkestan region. On Jan. 6, 2025, he was promoted to first deputy head of the president’s administration. He has also served as Kazakhstan’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Uzbekistan, a member of the Senate, first deputy governor of the South Kazakhstan region and mayor of Shymkent, the country’s second-largest city.

The nomination was supported by members of the city’s Maslikhat at an urgent meeting on May 24, though at least some deputies were not informed in advance. For instance, Deputy Dastan Janteleyev told Kursiv.media that he hadn’t known about the meeting.