Kazakhstan's ruling party changed its name on Tuesday to Amanat, distancing itself from former President Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had ruled the country for nearly 30 years, media reported Tuesday.
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Nursultan Nazarbayev, 81, dominated political life in the oil and mineral-rich country of 19 million from 1990, before its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, until 2019 when he transmitted the reins to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Until the bloody riots in early January, he had retained considerable influence, claiming the title of "
Elbassy
" -- Kazakh "
Head of the Nation
" -- and head of the powerful Security Council.
"Trust"
After calling Russian troops to the rescue to put down these unprecedented riots which left more than 200 dead, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, 68, took over and dismissed those close to Nursultan Nazarbayev in the government and in the security organs.
On Tuesday, during an extraordinary congress, party delegates voted to change the name of the organization and abandon that of Nour Otan, which took up the first part of the former president's first name, for Amanat ("
confidence
" ), reported the Kazakh pro-government website Tengrinews.
Addressing the congress, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev supported this initiative and described the new name as “
a profound concept which has a special symbolism in the culture of our people
”.
"
It evokes the imperishable ideals of independence, the values of a strong state, national unity, the vast expanses of our homeland that our ancestors bequeathed to us
," he said.
An “attempted coup”
Immediately after the riots, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that his country had defeated a "
coup attempt
" by
foreign "
terrorists ", "
an organized and well-prepared act against Kazakhstan with the participation of foreign fighters from foreign countries. Central Asia, including Afghanistan.
Fighters from the Middle East also participated
”, without providing much evidence for his assertion.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev consolidated his power thanks to the crisis at the expense of his former mentor, notably taking the head of the Security Council as well as the ruling party.
Just before the withdrawal in January of the forces of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), an alliance led by Moscow, he thanked them for their intervention, hailing its "
great psychological importance in repelling the aggression of terrorists and bandits
".
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Kazakhstan has displayed its neutrality since the Russian invasion of Ukraine and has offered to host talks between the two countries, a proposal reiterated on Tuesday by Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Nursultan Nazarbayev, whom the demonstrators in January accused of having made corruption flourish, did not speak publicly during these unprecedented unrest.
But he broke his silence on January 18 to give his full support to his successor and assure that there was “
no conflict or confrontation within the elite
”.