Atyrau region has lost its head: President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree dismissing Serik Shapkenov from the post of akim of the region, reports infohub.kz.
Shapkenov had led the key oil-producing region since April 7, 2022. Previously, he served as Minister of Labor and Social Protection, and before that, he was the mayor of Atyrau city. Born in 1979 in the West Kazakhstan Region, he graduated from West Kazakhstan State University with a degree in economics and mathematics. He began his career as a teacher, then moved into government service, rising from a leading specialist at the environmental protection fund to a state inspector in the presidential administration. In 2016, he became akim of Atyrau, in 2020 moved to the government as vice minister, and later headed the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection.
The name of the new akim has not yet been officially announced. A meeting of deputies of the regional maslikhat is scheduled for July 17 to consider a candidate for the successor. Earlier, it was reported that personnel changes are being prepared in two regions at once: besides Atyrau region, a similar meeting is scheduled for July 17 in the Ulytau region, which is currently headed by Dastan Ryspekov.