Dania Espaeva

In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Mädiqyzy and the family name is Espaeva.

Dania Madiqyzy Espaeva (Kazakh: Дания Мәдиқызы Еспаева, Daniia Mädiqyzy Espaeva, Kazakh pronunciation: [dɑnɪjɑ mædɪqɯzɯ jespajeva]; born 5 March 1961) is a Kazakh politician who has served in the Mäjilis as a member of Aq Jol since 2016. She was Aq Jol's presidential candidate in the 2019 election.

Dania Espaeva MP
Дания Еспаева
Espaeva in 2023
Deputy Chairman of the Mäjilis
Incumbent
Assumed office 19 March 2023 Serving with Albert Rau
Chairman	Erlan Qoşanov
Preceded by	Balaim Kesebaeva Pavel Kazantsev
Member of the Mäjilis
Incumbent
Assumed office 20 March 2016
President	Nursultan Nazarbayev Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
Personal details
Born	(1961-03-05) 5 March 1961 (age 64) Zhaisan, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
Political party	Aq Jol
Education	Almaty Accounting and Credit College Kazakh State Academy of Management

Early life and education

Dania Espaeva was born in Zhaisan, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union,^[1] on 5 March 1961. She graduated from the Alma-Ata Accounting and Credit College in 1982, and the Kazakh State Academy of Management in 1993.^[2]

Career

In the State Bank of the USSR Espaeva worked as an economist in Aktobe from 1982 to 1991. She was a senior specialist at TuranBank in Aktobe in 1991. She was a chief specialist for AlemBank Kazakhstan in Aktobe from 1995 to 1997. She was the deputy head of the lending department of BankTuranAlem in Aktobe in 1997, acting head from 1997 to 1998, deputy director from 1998 to 2005, and director from 2005 to 2016. At Kazkommertsbank she was director of the branch in Aktobe from 2014 to 2016.^[2]

In the 2016 election she won a seat in the Mäjilis as a member of Aq Jol's electoral list.^[3] During her tenure in the Mäjilis she served on the Finance and Budget committee.^[2] She is the deputy chair of the Mäjilis.^[4]

Espaeva was a candidate in the 2019 presidential election, the first woman to seek the presidency. She won Aq Jol's nomination with 49.5% of the 190 votes in a secret ballot.^[1] She did not participate in a presidential debate on 29 May, but was represented by Aq Zol chair Azat Peruaşev.^[5] She lost the election to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.^[6]

Personal life

The Order of Kurmet was given to Espaeva in 2011, and the Order of Parasat was given to her in 2020.^[2] She is the mother of two children.^[4]

Political positions

During Espaeva's presidential campaign she proposed lowering loan rates by the National Bank of Kazakhstan, stopping currency devaluations, reduce the value-added tax or replace it with a sales tax.^[1]