A Kazakh politician with a pedigree unexpectedly loses her job

WHEN HE STEPPED down abruptly as president of Kazakhstan last year after 30 years in power, Nursultan Nazarbayev appeared to take out an insurance policy. As stipulated in the constitution, he was succeeded by the speaker of the Senate, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who was later affirmed as president in a rubber-stamp election. To replace Mr Tokayev as speaker, the Senate chose none other than Dariga Nazarbayeva, the outgoing president’s daughter. Should Mr Nazarbayev for some reason feel let down by Mr Tokayev, many speculated, an even more loyal lieutenant was poised to take charge—or perhaps was being groomed to advance a Nazarbayev dynasty in due course. So when Ms Nazarbayeva lost her job this week, Kazakhs were left surprised and confused.