CURRENT AFFAIRS

Detailed explanation-1: -In September 2022, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a constitutional amendment to revert to the name Astana. As of 2022, it holds the Guinness World Record for the capital city with the most name changes in modern times.

Detailed explanation-2: -Kazakh president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has agreed to restore the former name of the country’s capital just three years after he renamed it in honour of his predecessor, his spokesperson said.

Detailed explanation-3: -Although he formally relinquished power to his handpicked successor, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, he retained significant sway from behind the scenes. That the capital was renamed after him, ostensibly at Tokayev’s behest, was intended to convey a sense of the permanency of his status at the apex of Kazakhstan’s hierarchy.

Detailed explanation-4: -The windswept steppe city infamous for its harsh continental climate became the capital in 1997. It was renamed Astana the following year. Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan’s president at the time, said he wanted the capital to be located closer to the geographical centre of the vast nation.

Detailed explanation-5: -By the presidential Decree dated May 6, 1998, Akmola was renamed to Astana. The international presentation of the new capital was held on June 10, 1998.