This has never happened before, and here it is again: the capital of Kazakhstan was renamed again
The capital of Kazakhstan was renamed again - this time it was returned to its former name Astana. Experts attribute the renaming to the process of replacing the policy of the "old Nazarbayev" Kazakhstan with the "new" one, headed by Tokayev. Writes about it DW.
Photo: IStock
For the return of the capital of Kazakhstan to its former name, Astana, deputies of the city representative body (maslikhat) voted unanimously. Earlier, the idea of renaming Nur-Sultan was voiced by deputies of the Kazakhstani parliament and supported by the President of the country, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
On September 16, at a joint meeting of both chambers of parliament, appropriate changes were made to the Constitution of the country: there again appeared a clause stating that the capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the city of Astana. In addition, now the duration of the presidential term in Kazakhstan will be equal to seven years without the right to further re-election.
This is the fourth renaming of the city since 1997, when it was called Akmola and was declared the capital of Kazakhstan.
From Astana to Nur-Sultan
As the name of the capital of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan lasted just over three years.
On March 20, 2019, Tokayev himself suggested renaming Astana when he took over the reins of power from the first president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev.
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Then his idea was also unanimously supported by members of both chambers of parliament and deputies of the capital's maslikhat. Most of them still remain in their seats and prefer not to discuss the issue of renaming the capital.
And the mayor, now again of Astana, Altai Kulginov asks to respect the past.
“Someone was born and raised in Tselinograd, someone in Akmola. For example, my children were born in Astana, now I am the akim (mayor - Ed.) of the city of Nur-Sultan. Therefore, each period must be treated with great respect, ”Altai Kulginov said a few hours before the decision to rename.
From Nur-Sultan to Astana
Experts are sure that after the January events in Kazakhstan, when protests due to a sharp increase in fuel prices turned into riots and engulfed the whole country, there is a need to draw some line between Nazarbayev’s policies and the actions of current President Tokayev.
“This is rather a politically motivated decision. Obviously, neither the initial renaming nor the subsequent one makes any sense other than some kind of political curtsy,” said Aidarkhan Kusainov, an economist and former adviser to the chairman of the National Bank.
A similar opinion is shared by Kazakh political scientist Daniyar Ashimbaev, who believes that the name Astana, which Nazarbayev gave to the new capital, has taken root quite well and the country's population has already got used to it.
“The sound of “Astana” is much more familiar to people. We still often say: “Astana paid attention”, “Astana put forward an initiative”, “Astana made a proposal”... And when Nur-Sultan uses a similar formulation, it is not clear whether we are talking about the first president or the state leadership. I think the Astana option is much more harmonious,” explained Daniyar Ashimbaev.
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“Shame on the capital, the country as a whole”
Opposition Kazakh politician Amirzhan Kosanov is confident that the frequent renaming of the country's capital has a negative impact on its image.
“It’s already a shame for the capital, for the country as a whole. Just imagine: just yesterday, members of parliament unanimously supported the idea of renaming the capital to Nur-Sultan, and now they are voting for Astana. And none of these figures apologized to the voters for their past decision. Such throwing of deputies from side to side testifies to their complete control by the authorities,” the politician believes.
“It just becomes scary for the future: tomorrow such shifters can legitimize any decision that is convenient and beneficial for the current political situation, which will be initiated by the current government,” Kosanov added.
Historical merits of Nazarbayev
But, despite the attempt to start a new era and draw a line, Tokayev says more than once that one should not forget about the historical merits of the first head of state.
“We must not forget that modern Kazakhstan is on the foundation of the Kazakhstan that Nazarbayev built: independence, stability and harmony were laid by the first president. At the same time, the “old” Kazakhstan was based on the Soviet foundation, therefore, breaking traditions, it would still be nice to think about common sense - to create a new one without detriment to the old,” political scientist Daniyar Ashimbaev noted.
In his opinion, the current renaming of the capital looks sensible enough to cancel the strange decision of 2019.
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