World History Databasehistorysearch.co.uk
Site visits —
Historical biography archive · Updated 2026-11-03

Nursultan Nazarbayev Biography and Timeline

Follow Nursultan Nazarbayev through 15 dated historical records for Kazakhstan.

Build a biographyBrowse biographiesBrowse by event

Nursultan Nazarbayev, historical timeline

A chronological timeline drawn from matching World History Database records.

15Distinct records
1 of 1Page
1990–2019Years on this page

1990

Head of State Takes Office

Head of State · Alma-Ata · Government / Kazakh SSR

Nazarbayev becomes republican head of state before independence

Role range: 1990-1991

President Created

President of Kazakh SSR · Alma-Ata · Government / Kazakh SSR

Nursultan Nazarbayev becomes President of the Kazakh SSR

Role range: 1990-1991

1991

Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site Closed

President of Kazakhstan · President of Kazakhstan · Semipalatinsk · Warfare / Nuclear

Closes the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site after decades of Soviet nuclear testing.

Role range: 1991-2019

President Elected

President of Kazakhstan · Alma-Ata · Government / Republic of Kazakhstan

Nazarbayev wins Kazakhstan's first presidential election

Role range: 1991-2019

1993

First Constitution

President of Kazakhstan · Alma-Ata · Government / Republic of Kazakhstan

First post-Soviet constitution confirms the presidential system

Role range: 1991-2019

1994

Kazakhstan Accedes to NPT

President of Kazakhstan · President of Kazakhstan · Kazakhstan · Government / Nuclear Arms Control

Kazakhstan accedes to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear-weapon state.

Role range: 1991-2019

1995

Term Extended

President of Kazakhstan · Almaty · Government / Republic of Kazakhstan

Referendum extends Nazarbayev's presidential term

Role range: 1991-2019

New Constitution

President of Kazakhstan · Almaty · Government / Republic of Kazakhstan

New constitution strengthens the presidential system

Role range: 1991-2019

1997

Capital Transfer

President of Kazakhstan · Akmola · Government / Republic of Kazakhstan

Nazarbayev transfers the capital from Almaty to Akmola

Role range: 1991-2019

1998

Capital Renamed Astana

President of Kazakhstan · Astana · Government / Republic of Kazakhstan

Capital is renamed Astana during Nazarbayev's presidency

Role range: 1991-2019

1999

Re-Elected President

President of Kazakhstan · Astana · Government / Republic of Kazakhstan

Nazarbayev wins re-election as President

Role range: 1991-2019

2005

Re-Elected President

President of Kazakhstan · Astana · Government / Republic of Kazakhstan

Nazarbayev wins another presidential election

Role range: 1991-2019

2011

Re-Elected President

President of Kazakhstan · Astana · Government / Republic of Kazakhstan

Nazarbayev wins early presidential election

Role range: 1991-2019

2015

Re-Elected President

President of Kazakhstan · Astana · Government / Republic of Kazakhstan

Nazarbayev wins another early presidential election

Role range: 1991-2019

2019

Presidency Ends

Former President of Kazakhstan · Astana · Government / Republic of Kazakhstan

Nazarbayev resigns after nearly three decades as head of state

Role range: 1991-2019

Records, sources and methodology

These dates and descriptions come from the historical_events database. Exact duplicate records have been collapsed. Names are grouped by the country, Name 2 and Name 1 fields; records with missing Name 2 cannot be reliably assigned to an individual biography. Check the underlying sources before formal citation.