Kazakhstan renames its capital after ‘People’s Hero’ Nursultan

KAZAKHSTAN’S capital Astana has been renamed Nursultan in honour of the country’s president, who resigned this week after nearly 30 years in power.

Nursultan Nazarbayev’s ally, Kassym Jomart-tokayev, proposed the change in his first act as acting president after being sworn in yesterday and parliament unanimously approved it. He also awarded his predecessor the titles of People’s Hero and Hero of Labour, pinning a golden star to Mr Nazarbayev’s chest in front of politicians.

Beginning with the third most populous metropolis Shymkent, cities have begun renaming central streets in honour of Mr Nazarbayev at the new president’s suggestion.

Mr Tokayev’s nomination of Dariga Nazarbayeva, the former leader’s daughter, to take his place as speaker of parliament was quickly approved.

Mr Nazarbayev, 78, has been in power since 1989, when he became first secretary of the communist party and de facto leader of Kazakhstan, a hydrocarbon-rich nation of 18 million wedged between Russia and China. He was elected to a fifth term as president with 97.7 per cent of the vote in 2015.

His resignation appeared to be part of a carefully managed transition of power because he will continue to hold the title of Leader of the Nation and remains as head of the security council as well as the ruling party.

Mr Tokayev and Dariga Nazarbayeva are considered top potential candidates in the presidential election scheduled for next year.

Astana airport was renamed after Mr Nazarbayev in 2017, but the city’s new title has left a cloud over the name of Air Astana, the national carrier. The word Astana also figures in the lyrics of patriotic songs and the names of dozens of enterprises in both Kazakhstan and Russia.

While Kazakhstan’s personality cult is not as extreme as that in neighbouring Turkmenistan, its leader is already widely celebrated in film, music and art, including with a golden sculpture of him in the national museum which is eerily similar to the Lincoln Memorial statue in Washington DC.

A museum in the capital is dedicated to his life, and the country’s main university, national library and a mountain peak are named after him.

Established as Akmolinsk in 1830, Astana was renamed Tselinograd in 1961 during Khrushchev’s Soviet reign. It was changed to Astana in 1998.