Kazakhstan marks Day of the First President

1st December is marked as the Day of the First President in Kazakhstan. This is the third time the holiday is officially celebrated in the country.

The holiday was officially established on December 10, 2011 with adoption of amendments to the Law "On holidays of Kazakhstan" at the plenary session of the Kazakh Senate to celebrate the date when the first national elections in Kazakhstan were held and Nursultan Nazarbayev became the first President of the country.

Today, Nursultan Nazarbayev congratulated Kazakhstanis on the holiday and stressed that it was not about a single person but about the entire nation, Tengrinews correspondent reports from Saryarka Cycling Track, where the event "One Motherland! One destiny! One Leader!" is taking place.

"Congratulations to everyone on this holiday. The day of the first President of the country does not concern only one person. The people of Kazakhstan elected their head for the first time in history 23 years ago by universal suffrage. This was necessary at the time when we did not know what to do, where to go, or how to act. The universal suffrage, the trust placed in me by the Kazakhstanis had given me the strength and the capacity to declare the independence of our country. With this support, this power of the people, over the years we have managed to elevate Kazakhstan," Nazarbayev said.

President Nazarbayev reminded that the country had achieved much in the short period of time, more than many nations do in a century. Addressing the youth he said that they were a “happy generation to grow in the years of independence” and they were the future of Kazakhstan.

There was also a solemn ceremony of hoisting the standard of the Head of State and awarding the Flag of the State Security Service, Akorda press service informs.

"Relying on public trust, on 16 December I was able to declared the sovereignty of our country. Therefore, there is a close relationship between the Day of the First President and the upcoming national holiday - the Independence Day," Nazarbayev said.

Addressing the participants of the ceremony, President Nazarbayev said that the State Security Service had a mission to fulfill.

"You are taking part in strengthening the independence, confronting the current threats, ensuring stable operation of the state machinery. Your work maybe not seen to everyone but you are performing a large amount of crucial work. Adequately carrying out the services requires discipline, high physical and moral preparedness. I am sure that you will justify the confidence placed in you with honor," he said.

In the end the Head of State wished the officers good health and success in serving their motherland.

The standard of the President of Kazakhstan was raised to the sounds of the National Anthem on the central flagpole in front of the residence and the guard of honor signified the end of the ceremony.

Reporting by Renat Tashkinbayev, writing by Dinara Urazova