Known for his revolving affiliations with the Communist Party, the Independent Party, and finally, the Nur Otan Party, he took office in 1991 as President of Kazakhstan. During the 1980s, he had served as Prime Minister of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. In his late teens and early twenties, he trained as a steelworker. In the early 1960s, he became a member of the Communist Party and was also active in the Young Communist League.