Kazakhstan's president renames capital Astana

By Meiramgul Kussainova

ASTANA, Kazakhstan (AA) - Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree on Saturday, officially changing the name of the capital Nur Sultan to Astana.

According to the statement made by the Presidency of Kazakhstan, Tokayev approved the law envisaging amendments to some articles of the Constitution.

Also, the presidential mandate was increased from five to seven years and limited to a single term.

So, the draft law, approved in the parliament on Friday, entered into force after it was signed by the president.

The capital's name was changed to Nur-Sultan in March 2019, in honor of outgoing President Nursultan Nazarbayev.