Kazakhstan President Kasim Zomart Tokayev signed the parliament-backed amendments to the law on Saturday, restoring the capital’s name Astana and limiting the presidential term to a seven-year term.
So far, Kazakhstan’s president could serve two five-year terms. In early September, Tokaev assured him that he would run for re-election.
Kazakhstan’s parliament on Friday approved the renaming of Astana to the capital, which was named Nursultan for three years in honor of Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had ruled the country for around 30 years.
The amendments signed by the President come into effect immediately, according to the decree published on the website of the President of Kazakhstan.
Since the creation of the current Nursultan in 1830, it has had several names. Initially it was Akmolinska, in Soviet times – Celinograd, but after the collapse of the USSR in 1992 it was called Akmola, which in Kazakh means “white grave”.
In 1998, Nazarbayev moved the capital from the country’s largest city, Almaty. He gave it the neutral name of Astana, which in Kazakh means “capital”.
Tokaev became Nazarbayev’s chosen successor in 2019, but has since gradually distanced himself from the country’s former leader. In June, a referendum backed amendments to Kazakhstan’s constitution, which, among other things, revoke Nazarbayev’s status as the nation’s leader (“jelbasi”).
Over the past three years, Kazakhstan President Tokayev has implemented a series of reforms and called for “completely new standards for the political system with fair and open rules of the game”.
In January, widespread riots broke out in the country, killing more than 200 people.
To ease political tensions, Tokayev called for early presidential elections in the fall, although a specific date has not yet been set. He also proposed extraordinary parliamentary elections next year.
The next presidential elections in Kazakhstan are scheduled for 2024 and parliamentary elections for 2025.
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