1 Mar 2022 13:33

Kazakhstan's ruling party renamed

NUR-SULTAN. March 1 (Interfax) - Kazakhstan's ruling party Nur Otan (The Light of the Fatherland) has been renamed as Amanat (The Behest of Ancestors), an Interfax correspondent reported.

All delegates attending the party's special congress in the Kazakh capital on Tuesday voted unanimously in favor of this decision.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, for his part, said at the congress that "the rebranding of the party means not only renaming it or changing its nameplate, but, first and foremost, it is necessary to reorganize all the party's work," Tokayev said.

Focus should be put on "decentralization and increasing the efficiency of the party machine," he said.

"The worst traits of bureaucracy have started to show in the work of the party machine. Charts, reports, and formal events have sidelined real work with voters. Let's be honest here, fervent enthusiasts had to give way to apathetic functionaries. Therefore, it is necessary to fully revise the methods of the party center's interaction with its branches and grassroots organizations," Tokayev said.

"The word amanat is translated as the behest of ancestors for future generations. Amanat carries profound meaning, which has special symbolism in the history and culture of our people," the president said.

Earlier at the congress, Majilis Speaker Yerlan Koshanov proposed renaming the ruling party Nur Otan as Amanat.

"Our party is at the center of the changes that are taking place in the country. To be honest, as the country changes, the party's upgrade is also needed. In order to give new meaning to the organization's work, necessary changes should be introduced. In this context, we believe that it will be right to change the nature and the name of the party. We believe that the ruling party of Kazakhstan should be called Amanat in tribute to our ancestors. We propose renaming the party as Amanat at today's congress," Koshanov said.

The party was founded in 1999 at the initiative of the country's first President Nursultan Nazarbayev. First, it was known as Otan, but was later renamed as Nur Otan (The Light of the Fatherland). It is the largest party in Kazakhstan.

Tokayev took helm of Nur Otan, which had been led by Nazarbayev since its establishment, in late January of this year.