Baiterek monument in Nur-Sultan. File photoNUR-SULTAN, Sep 2 The Zhana Kazakhstan (New Kazakhstan) deputy group, consisting of deputies of the republic's parliament, is proposing to return the name «Astana» to the country's capital, the group said in a statement. «when a city is named after a person during his lifetime, besides, the people also did not accept the new name of the capital. Therefore, it will be historically fair to return the former name of the capital — Astana», which was once proposed by the first president,» the statement reads. According to the deputies, this decision «will take into account the contribution of the first president to the formation and development of the country's main city, and will also meet the needs and expectations of citizens.» Parliamentarians believe that it is necessary to return the former name of the capital, using the opportunity to amend the constitution. They called on «all caring, progressive citizens to unite and overcome the challenges together» facing the motherland. The capital of Kazakhstan was renamed from Astana to Nur-Sultan in March 2019 after Nazarbayev, who headed the republic for almost 30 years, resigned his powers as president. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who had previously been chairman of the senate (upper house) of the country's parliament, became the head of state. After taking office, Tokayev proposed to rename the country's capital Astana to Nur-Sultan in honor of the first president. On the same day, the parliament adopted the corresponding amendments to the constitution. Nazarbayev himself has repeatedly stated that he is against any renaming in his honor. Loyal
