From Nur-Sultan, President Tokayev once again “baptized” the capital Astana, as was its previous name.
The capital of Kazakhstan will be renamed from Nur-Sultan to Astana, as it was previously called, after the country’s president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed an amendment to the law, which was approved by the parliament a day earlier.
Three years ago the capital was renamed Nur-Sultan in honor of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev, who retired in March 2019 after nearly 30 years in power.
The country’s parliament also unanimously approved a constitutional amendment limiting the president’s term to a single seven-year term.
The proposal by the deputies of the lower house of Kazakhstan to restore the name Astana was made in early September.
In 1998, Nursultan Nazarbayev had proposed the name Astana for the capital and therefore, as the MPs judged, his contribution “to the creation and development of the main city of the country” should be taken into account.
In January 2022, there were mass protests in Kazakhstan, initially demanding a reduction in fuel prices. Political slogans calling for Nazarbayev’s resignation were then added.
After the January crisis, Tokayev had publicly criticized his predecessor, accusing him of protecting the rich.
In the summer of 2022, a referendum was organized on the amendments to the country’s constitution. 77% of citizens supported the changes to the constitution. The result was to remove from the text of the constitution, among other things, all references to Nazarbayev.
Nazarbayev autocratically ruled the former Soviet republic from its independence in 1991 until 2019.
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I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
