The Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan deprived Nursultan Nazarbayev of the title of Elbasy

On the eve of the Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan declared this law invalid. The deprivation of Nursultan Nazarbayev of the title of Elbasy (leader of the nation) was previously provided for by amendments to the constitution, which were adopted at a referendum last summer. The resolution of the Constitutional Court states that upon completion of the referendum and the exclusion of the 46th paragraph from the basic law, which determined the consolidation of the status, the law "is subject to recognition as invalid."

There are no legal grounds for maintaining this law in the country.

In addition, the title of honorary senator, which was held by Nazarbayev, was abolished in the republic. The corresponding changes to the regulations were made in December 2022. The deputies obeyed the will of the people, Speaker of the upper house of Parliament Maulen Ashimbayev stressed, pointing out that during the referendum the majority voted against preferences for the first president.

In March 2019, Nazarbayev left the post of head of state, but retained a number of influential positions. The planting of the cult of Nazarbayev's personality in the country continued: lifetime monuments were erected to him, the capital was renamed in his honor, the president's relatives took key positions in the most profitable industries, which caused discontent among citizens. At the beginning of 2022, mass protests began in Kazakhstan. Demonstrators destroyed the monument to Nazarbayev and demanded his resignation from government posts. The current Kazakh president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev limited the number of terms of one person's tenure in the presidential post, deprived Nazarbayev of the title of Elbasy.

After that, he carried out a "purge" in state structures, returned the former name to the capital of the state Astana. Many of Nazarbayev's relatives lost their positions and were put on trial for corruption. Tokayev also excluded from the list of holidays the Day of the first president, which was previously celebrated on December 1.