NUR-SULTAN -- The daughter of Kazakhstan's first president, Nursultan Nazarbaev, will take part in the Central Asian nation's upcoming parliamentary elections.
Darigha Nazarbaeva, whose removal from the powerful post of the chairwoman of parliament's upper chamber, the Senate, in May caused controversy, was included on November 25 in the ruling Nur Otan party's list of its 126 candidates for the January 10 vote to the parliament's lower chamber, the Mazhilis.
In early May, President Qasym-Zhomart Toqaev, Nazarbaev's hand-picked successor, removed the 57-year-old Nazarbaeva from the post of Senate speaker, as well as her seat in parliament.
Nazarbaeva's dismissal from the post that put her second in line to head of state has been seen by many in the oil-rich Central Asian nation as a result of ongoing struggle between financial and political groups.
Nazarbaev, 80, is widely seen as the country's top decision maker despite leaving the presidency he held for nearly three decades. He continues to lead the ruling Nur Otan Party, holds a lifetime post as chairman of the powerful Security Council, and enjoys almost limitless powers as elbasy -- the leader of the nation.
Immediately following Nazarbaev's resignation, Toqaev proposed renaming the country's capital, Astana, to Nur-Sultan in his predecessor's honor.
Nazarbaeva was nominated to be parliamentary speaker by Toqaev, who himself served in the position under Nazarbaev.
Nazarbaeva's arrival to parliament in 2016 on her father's appointment was widely seen as a move to groom a possible successor.
