sentences:  Abdykarimov was asked to resign from his Speakership on 10 March 2004.Nurtai Abykayev, the former head of the National Security Committee, was appointed to the Senate and then immediately elected Abdykarimov's successor.Altynbek Sarsenbayev, formerly Information Minister in the Nazarbayev administration, said, "According to the constitution, the president can recommend a speaker of the Senate, but in both cases where this has happened, with Oralbay Abdykarimov and [now with] Nurtay Abikayev, the president's nominee was elected as speaker.