(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM)) Kazakhstan's incumbent President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, promised to conduct constitutional reforms if he won the elections.
Nazarbayev said, after casting his vote at a polling station in the capital, Astana, that if the Kazakh people renewed their trust in him, the first step that he would be making is the instruction to form a committee to conduct five institutional reforms, which would require legislative and constitutional changes.
Kazakh people expressed their confidence in President Nazarbayev, and voted for him with more than 95 percent of the ballot for the reforms that he promised to achieve for them, in addition to maintaining security and stability in the face of the economic crisis facing the country.
Despite the large area of Kazakhstan, about 2,700,000 square kilometers, its population is about 17 million, roughly 50 percent of whom are ethnic Kazakhs and 35 percent Russian, with the remaining 15 percent being a mixture of Germans, Ukrainians, Uzbeks, Koreans and others.
The official language is Kazakh, but Russian is also spoken in the country which includes 14 regional counties and its capital, Astana, which was selected in 1997 by the President as the capital instead of Almaty.
Astana is a modern city, which has developed very quickly economically and touristically, and includes several landmarks, such as the Atamikeen Museum, which, in its geometric shape, resembles a map of Kazakhstan, and whose features include various models of Kazakh monuments.
One fascination feature of Astana is the Bayterek, or Tree of Life, Tower, which rises about 100 meters and is topped with a golden ball surrounding a platform overlooking the city. Bayterek Tower is meant to represent a folktale about a mythical tree of life and a magic bird of happiness: the bird, named Samruk, laid its egg between two branches of a poplar tree, here a gold-mirrored 22m-diameter observation sphere. At the top of the tower there is anthropomorphic embodiment of the right hand of President Nazarbayev in the form of a golden palm imprint.
The city of Astana also contains the nation's largest shopping center, Khan Schutter, and Al Khaimah Al Malakya, or, Royal Tent, an entertainment marquee which is the largest of its kind in the world, containing various shopping malls and international brands, built on 100,000 square meters, with a high of up to 150 meters, which were opened in 2010. There is also the Al Salam Pyramid, Pyramid of Peace, which represents religious tolerance and is known as the Palace of Peace and Reconciliation.
Kazakhstan translates literally as Liberal Province or Territory, a Turkish meaning chosen by the inhabitants of the Republic. Located in the heart of Eurasia, it is the ninth largest country in the world in terms of area.
It has a wealth of oil, gas and a variety of minerals. It also succeeded in attracting significant investment to develop its resources. Major oil and gas companies such as ExonMobil, Shell, B.B. Amoco, Chevron and B.G. are currently operating in the country.
The origin of the Kazakhs comes from the Turkish tribes, among their ancestors are the Mongols of Genghis Khan and they are now considered as the closest large group of Russians in Central Asia. Russia began to expand to their land in the beginning of the eighteenth century, while the other peoples of Central Asia did not mingle with the Russians significantly until the nineteenth century.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.