Kazakhstan has regained the former name of the country's capital, Astana, just three years after renaming it Nur-Sultan in honor of the former leader, Nursultan Nazarbayev, who retained overwhelming powers after resigning from office in 2019.
Kazakhstan's parliament renamed the capital of the Central Asian country from Nur-Sultan to Astana , on Friday, in the latest move by government officials and politicians to distance themselves from the former Soviet republic's first president.
The city, known for its harsh continental climate, became the capital of Kazakhstan in 1997, and was renamed Astana the following year.
Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan's president at the time, said he wanted the capital to be closer to the geographical center of the sprawling country, with the former capital Alma-Ata located near the country's southeastern border.
The billions of dollars the country has received for its oil exports have since transformed the current capital into a magical city.
And in 2019, when Nazarbayev resigned after three decades in power, his successor Kasim-Jomart Tokayev changed its name from Astana to Nur-Sultan in honor of the former leader, who retained overwhelming powers after his resignation.
But Tokayev appears to have fallen out with Nazarbayev after violent street protests over fuel prices in January. Nazarbayev gave up his remaining posts and many of his relatives lost their jobs in the public sector.
On Friday, Parliament held a vote in favor of returning the name Astana through an amendment to the country's constitution.
It also extended the presidential term from five to seven years and prohibited office holders from running for a second term.
The amendment would not prevent Tokayev, elected under an earlier version of the constitution, from running for a second term in the upcoming elections, but would extend his second term if he wins.
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