Nursultan, the capital of Central Asia Kazakhstan, which was named after the authoritarian former president, decided to return to its original name of "Astana", and the current President Tokayev removes the influence of the former president. It is accepted as movement.
Kazakhstan's President Tokayev signed a decree on May 17 stipulating that the capital's current name, Nursultan, should be changed back to its original name, Astana.
``Nursultan'' is the first name of former President Nazarbayev, who led the country for about 30 years and resigned in 2019, and was renamed to show loyalty after Mr. Tokayev, a close aide to the former president, took over.
Even after retiring, Mr. Nazarbayev has held important positions such as the chairman of the National Security Council and has held real power, but in the large-scale protests of citizens that occurred in January this year, his family and aides monopolized wealth and power. It has been the target of criticism.
For this reason, President Tokayev is trying to eliminate Nazarbayev's influence, such as revising the constitution so that he will not recognize the privilege, and the name change of the capital is seen as part of that. increase.