Erasyl Abilqasymov

Abilqasymov was born in the village of Bostan in Almaty Region. In 1967, he graduated from the Talgar Medical School as a medical assistant then in 1972 from the Kazakh National Medical University with a degree in healthcare organization. In 1987, Abilqasymov finished Al-Farabi Kazakh National University where he learned history. He earned his doctorate in medical sciences in 1996 with the thesis topic: "Historical, theoretical and organizational and economic foundations of the introduction of the compulsory health insurance system in the Republic of Kazakhstan".^[1]

From 1972, Abilqasymov was a research assistant at the Kazakh National Medical University. In 1973, he became a trainee researcher at the Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry and from 1974, as a senior laboratory assistant at the Kazakh National Medical University. From 1983 to 1987, Abilqasymov worked as the Deputy Head of the Personnel Department and Educational Institutions, Head of the Personnel Department, Head of the Planning and Financial Department of the Ministry of Health of the Kazakh SSR. In 1988, he became the chief physician of the Alma-Ata City Self-Supporting Consultative and Diagnostic Polyclinic until 1991, when becoming the chief physician of the Republican Self-Supporting Scientific and Practical Center of Oriental and Modern Medicine. While working there, Abilqasymov was the leading and chief researcher at the Kazakhstan Academy of Sciences from 1995. In 1999, he was appointed as the Head of the laboratory, and the Director of the Scientific Center for Medical and Economic Problems of Health Care.^[1]

In 2001, Abilqasymov became a deputy of the Mäjilis. From there, he was a member of Committee for Social and Cultural Development. He was reelected in 2004 as an independent from the Electoral district No. 18 in the Almaty Region and was a member of the Committee on International Affairs, Defense and Security until 2007. During his tenure, Abilqasymov was known for having to sharply criticize the actions of the government, making populist statements and being very popular amongst journalists who he often gave public interviews with.^[2]

While serving as parliamentarian, Abilqasymov was unanimously chosen to be the first-ever presidential nominee for the Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan (QKHP) during the 2005 presidential election on 17 September 2005.^[3][4] He campaigned around the topic of fighting corruption.^[2] Abilqasymov himself doubted that he would win the race but hoped that he'd secure Zharmakhan Tuyakbay's spot and finish as second place frontrunner.^[5] However, he officially swept 0.34% in the results, taking fourth place just behind Alikhan Baimenov.^[6]