Astana, Kazakhstan, Sept 17 (AFP\/APP): Kazakhstan’s president on Saturday signed a law limiting presidential terms and reverting to the old name of the Central Asian country’s capital, in the latest step of breaking with the legacy of his predecessor.<\/p>\n
President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a bill limiting presidential mandates to a single seven-year term, a day after parliament approved the measure.<\/p>\n
The bill also reinstated the capital’s name to Astana. The name was changed to Nur-sultan in March 2019, in honour of outgoing president Nursultan Nazarbayev.<\/p>\n
The change is effective immediately, according to a decree on the presidential website.<\/p>\n
Tokayev took over from Nazarbayev in 2019 and has gradually distanced himself from the man who had ruled the energy-rich nation with an iron fist for three decades.<\/p>\n
Tokayev has launched reforms and called for “completely new standards for a political system with fair and open rules of the game”.<\/p>\n
In January, riots erupted in the country, eventually leaving more than 200 people dead.<\/p>\n
Tokayev has called for snap presidential elections this autumn — though there is no confirmed date yet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Astana, Kazakhstan, Sept 17 (AFP\/APP): Kazakhstan’s president on Saturday signed a law limiting presidential terms and reverting to the old name of the Central Asian country’s capital, in the latest step of breaking with the legacy of his predecessor. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a bill […]<\/p>\n
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