The suggestion to rename Astana was buried in a declaration unanimously passed by both chambers of parliament on Wednesday.
On the surface, the declaration was to mark the forthcoming 25th anniversary of Kazakhstan’s independence. But reading past the tributes to Nazarbayev’s “outstanding service”, the declaration’s final paragraph calls for renaming the capital and other important facilities across the country after theleader of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
However, that decision rests with the 76-year-old president himself, the Constitutional Council head was quoted as saying.
Igor Rogov said Nazarbayev could either call a referendum or send the matter to parliament for debate. “I cannot say whether the president will make such a decision or not,” he said.
There was no immediate comment from the office of Nazarbayev, who has ruled Kazakhstan since 1989, first as Communist party leader then, after independence in 1991, as president.
But Kuanysh Sultanov MP said he expected the president to respond to the initiative within weeks. Another parliament deputy, Pavel Kazantsev, said he believed the capital would be renamed by the end of the year.
Initiatives to cement Nazarbayev’s legacy are not uncommon in Kazakhstan. In 2010, parliament bestowed the title of “elbasy” (leader of the nation) on Nazarbayev, granting him and his family lifelong immunity from any civic or criminal prosecution.
While Nazarbayev formally opposed the bill, it automatically became law under a legal clause.
Last week, days before the passage of the most recent declaration, a 10,000-tenge banknote was introduced featuring Nazarbayev’s image. It will go into circulation on 1 December, a fortnight before Independence Day on 16 December.
It is not clear what names might be considered for the capital. “Nursultan” has become one of the most popular baby names in Kazakhstan in recent years and, according to official statistics, in 2015 the president had more than 38,000 namesakes. “Nazarbayev” or “Elbasy” would also be possibilities.
Astana has been renamed several times since it was founded in 1830 as the settlement of Akmoly. In 1832, it became the town of Akmolinsk. In1961 it was renamed Tselinograd, then Akmola in 1992.
In December 1997, the government made the city the capital of the country, replacing Almaty. In May 1998, it was renamed Astana, a Kazakh word that means “the capital”.
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