Kazakhstan removes First President's Day from list of public holidays

NUR-SULTAN. Sept 7 (Interfax) - The deputies of the Mazhilis of the Kazakh parliament endorsed a bill introducing amendments and supplements to certain legislative acts on cinematography and culture at a plenary session on Wednesday, an Interfax correspondent reported.

The document has been submitted to the Senate for consideration.

The bill contains an amendment according to which the First President's Day is removed from the list of public holidays and is made socially significant by analogy with the day of state symbols, the day of gratitude and so on.

The document also contains proposals to celebrate Republic Day on October 25 as a national holiday and to set December 16 as Independence Day as a national holiday.

First President's Day has been celebrated in Kazakhstan on December 1 since 2012. The first Kazakh President is Nursultan Nazarbayev, who has led the country since 1991. Nazarbayev resigned as president on March 20, 2019.

Republic Day was previously celebrated in Kazakhstan on October 25. In 2009, Republic Day was removed from the list of public holidays.

Currently, Independence Day, which is celebrated in Kazakhstan on December 16-17, is a national holiday.