The Zhana Kazakhstan (New Kazakhstan) group, which was set up in February by some lawmakers of the Majilis (lower house of Kazakhstan’s parliament), has put forward a proposal to return the former name of Astana to the country’s capital, according to the statement released by the group on Friday.
“If the constitution is amended, it is necessary to make another important change in the basic law, using this opportunity. We are talking about the return of the capital’s former name. We believe it is wrong when a city is named after a living individual. Moreover, people have not accepted the capital’s new name. Therefore, it will be historically fair to return the capital its former name Astana, which once was suggested by First President [Nursultan Nazarbayev],” the statement says.
