Nazarbayev left Kazakhstan. In official statements, they no longer mention the capital as Nur-sultan – TVNOVINY.sk

Former Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev has reportedly left the country. With reference to its sources, the Kazakh news website Orda.kz wrote this on its telegram account on Friday.

Kazakhstan’s first president has reportedly left the country with his daughters and their families. Only his older brother Bolat Nazarbayev is said to have remained in Kazakhstan.

In the article, the editor-in-chief of Orda.kz also notes that the official statements have ceased to mention the capital under the name Nur-Sultan. The new name for Astana in honor of the country’s first president was unanimously approved by the Kazakh parliament three years ago.
The editor-in-chief of Orda.kz adds that neither state authorities nor the state media have mentioned the name of the former president since the beginning of the current political crisis in the country, nor do they talk about what happened to him.

In Taldykorgan on Wednesday, a crowd tore down a statue of Nazarbayev. The Kyrgyz media reported on Friday night that two planes arrived in the Bishkek metropolis, which allegedly belonged to Nazarbayev’s family.

Eighty-one-year-old Nazarbayev was removed as chairman of the Republican Security Council on Wednesday by his successor Kasym-Zhomart Tokayev. Tokaev currently holds this position. As president, Nazarbayev has headed the Security Council for almost 30 years, and since 2019, when he resigned as head of state, this has been his last “unrepresentative post.”

The situation in Kazakhstan escalated on January 2, when rallies began in Zanaozen in the west against a sharp rise in liquefied gas prices. They then grew into massive protests across the country with economic and political demands. On January 4 and 5, demonstrators clashed with security forces in Alma-Ate, claiming lives and injuries. The government was dismissed on Wednesday. There is a state of emergency in the country.

Tokaev on Friday announced to security forces allowed to shoot at “terrorists” without warning.