Categories: International

Kazakhstan changes capital’s name from Nur-Sultan back to Astana

Kazakhstan’s president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is to restore the former name of the country’s capital, Astana, just three years after he renamed it in honour of his predecessor. Kazakhstan’s president has signed a law limiting presidential terms and reverting to the old name of the Central Asian country’s capital, in the latest step of breaking with the legacy of his predecessor. The bill also reinstated the capital’s name to Astana.

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The name was changed to Nur-Sultan in March 2019, in honour of outgoing president Nursultan Nazarbayev. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a bill on 24 Sept limiting presidential mandates to a single seven-year term, a day after parliament approved the measure.

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The decision now must now be approved by the state naming commission, after which it will go to the government, which will outline a draft decree for Toqaev’s review and signature.
Toqaev, who has been distancing himself from his predecessor, has already said he agrees with the name change.
Presidential spokesman Ruslan Zheldibai said on September 13 that the move will be added to a bill of amendments to the constitution currently under preparation.
On September 2, members of the New Kazakhstan parliamentary group proposed changing the current name of the capital to its former name.

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