Conventional Long Form: Republic of Kazakhstan
Capital CIty: Astana Type of Goverment: Republic Date of Independence: 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union) National Holidays: Independence Day, 16 December. The Kazakhstani National Day is a designated date on the 16 December (1991) to celebrate the Independence Day of Kazakhstan. Often this public holiday in Kazakhstan is not called as National Day. However, the banks, schools and other public buildings will be closed. The 1st of January is celebrated as The New Year in Kazakhstan to mark the beginning of a new calendar year. May Day is another national holiday in Kazakhstan which is observed to commemorate the achievements of the labor movement Chief of State: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV Head of Government: Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov Executive Branch/Powers: cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held on 3 April 2011 (next to be held in 2016); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president, with Mazhilis approval; note - constitutional amendments of May 2007 shortened the presidential term from seven years to five years and established a two-consecutive-term limit; NAZARBAYEV has official status as the "First President of Kazakhstan" and is allowed an unlimited amount of terms election results: Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV reelected president; percent of vote - Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV 95.5%, other 4.5% Lefislaative Branch/Powers: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (47 seats; 15 members are appointed by the president; 32 members elected by local assemblies; members serve six-year terms, but elections are staggered with half of the members up for re-election every three years) and the Mazhilis (107 seats; 9 out of the 107 Mazhilis members elected by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, a presidentially appointed advisory body designed to represent the country's ethnic minorities; non-appointed members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate - (indirect) last held in August 2011 (next to be held in 2014); Mazhilis - last held on 15 January 2012 (next to be held in 2017) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Nur Otan 16; Mazhilis - percent of vote by party - Nur-Otan 81%, Ak Zhol 7.5%, Communist People's Party 7.2%, other 4.3%; seats by party - Nur-Otan 83, Ak Zhol 8, Communist People's Party 7 Judicial Branch/Powers: Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (seven members)18 Suffrage: 18 years old Ambassador to the US: Kayrat Umarov Location of Kazakhstan's Embassy in the US: 1401 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 Location of Kazakhstan's Consulates in the US: Los Angeles, New York US Ambassador to Kazakhstan: Kenneth Fairfax Location of US in Kazakhstan: Ak Bulak 4, Str. 23-22, Building #3, Astana 010010 Location of US Consulates in Kazakhstan: NA Representative to the UN: Byrganym Aitimova Symbolism of Flag: gold sun with 32 rays above a soaring golden steppe eagle, both centered on a sky blue background; the hoist side displays a national ornamental pattern "koshkar-muiz" (the horns of the ram) in gold; the blue color is of religious significance to the Turkic peoples of the country, and so symbolizes cultural and ethnic unity; it also represents the endless sky as well as water; the sun, a source of life and energy, exemplifies wealth and plenitude; the sun's rays are shaped like grain, which is the basis of abundance and prosperity; the eagle has appeared on the flags of Kazakh tribes for centuries and represents freedom, power, and the flight to the future National Symbol: Golden Eagle National Anthem: name:"Menin Qazaqstanim" (My Kazakhstan) lyrics/music: Zhumeken NAZHIMEDENOV and Nursultan NAZARBAYEV/Shamshi KALDAYAKOV note:adopted 2006; President Nursultan NAZARBAYEV played a role in revising the lyrics |
Chief of State:
President Nursultan A. Nazarayev Head of Government:
Prime Minister Serik Akhmetov National Symbol:
Golden Eagle |