Nazarbayev retires?

[AreWeThereYet?]

Don't know what the forum policy on politics is, but I thought useful to share this here:

Kazakh leader Nazarbayev resigns after three decades

Kazakhstan's President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has led the country since independence from the Soviet Union, has announced his resignation.

In a pre-recorded television address, he said the decision had "not been simple".

Mr Nazarbayev, 78, has been largely unchallenged since he became president of the oil-rich nation in 1990.

He has focused on economic reform while resisting moves to democratise the political system.

"I have decided to give up my powers as president," he said during a surprise television address.

Mr Nazarbayev said the speaker of the upper house of parliament, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, would take over as acting president for the remainder of his term.

The announcement comes just weeks after the leader sacked the country's government, citing failures to improve the economy.

"In many areas of the economy, despite the adoption of many laws and government decisions, positive changes have not been achieved," he said in a statement at the time.

Born in 1940, Mr Nazarbayev came to power as first secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan when it was a Soviet republic.

After independence, he was re-elected against largely token opponents in 1999, 2005, 2011 and - most recently - in 2015.

But the conduct of every election was criticised by foreign observers.

A huge country the size of Western Europe, Kazakhstan has vast mineral resources and enormous economic potential.

Since independence following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, major investment in the oil sector has brought rapid economic growth, and eased some of the stark disparities in wealth of the 1990s.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-47628854

[steven]

Clever move. he will remain powerful behind the scenes, put his pawns in place and will make sure his relatives do not end up like Karimov's relatives: hounded and in jail.

[Milad]

The Kazhak parliament has renamed Astana to "Nursultan". I think that name suits the city terribly well.

[Julia]

It's historical moment. Travellers who just arrived to Astana will leave Nursultan.

There were proposals to rename the country a couple of years ago.
Maybe tomorrow there will be a new country name.

[jacoblab1]

Interesting! I guess I'll be visiting the new city of Nursultan this summer

[AreWeThereYet?]

The Kazhak parliament has renamed Astana to "Nursultan". I think that name suits the city terribly well.

So one can arrive in Nursultan's Nursultan Nazerbayev airport, drive along Nursultan avenue, study in Nursultan university and... I'm sure I'm missing something else.

[steven]

Update, it is now called Nur-Sultan.

[AreWeThereYet?]

Oh boy! Will Air Astana rename too then?

[AreWeThereYet?]

It's spreading! Now even Kyrgyzstan is considering a renaming: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-news-f ... e-47700161

[Milad]

Funnily one could say that both KZ and KG are renaming their capital after their airport (to be more accurate of course the guy they named the airport after)...