The role of Amanzhol Bulekpaev in the establishment of Akmola as the new capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan (1994-1997)

Research аrticle

Abstract

This article examines the early stages of the development of Astana, the modern capital of the Republic of Kazakhstan (1994–1997), which was then known by its historical name, Akmola. At that time, the head of the city administration was A. K. Bulekpaev, who had first taken the helm back in 1987 when he became chairman of the local city executive committee and had governed the city for a considerable period. The aim of the study is to examine the activities of A.K. Bulekpaev during the period of Akmola’s preparation for gaining capital status following the address by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, N.A. Nazarbayev, and the decision by the country’s Supreme Council to relocate the capital from Almaty to Akmola. The objectives of the study were: to examine the measures taken by the country’s leadership to relocate and establish the new capital, including the development of the necessary infrastructure; to analyse the situation in Akmola and the Akmola Region during that period; to examine key stages in the biography of the city’s mayor, A. K. Bulekpaev, which characterise the personality of the man entrusted with preparing what was previously a provincial town for the status of the state capital; to identify his initiatives that contributed to attracting foreign investment for the accelerated development of the new capital and its establishment as the country’s new economic and political center. These include: accelerated housing construction (including the ‘Samal’ housing estate), the rehousing of relocated staff from central government bodies, oversight of budgetary funds allocated to the new capital, and the identification of vacant, undeveloped land suitable for large-scale residential, administrative and commercial construction, including embassy districts and social infrastructure facilities. A number of other initiatives by A.K. Bulekpaev’s city administration, which contributed to the development and establishment of Akmola as a new centre for state nation-building policy, have also been examined. Particular attention is paid to the activities of the Akmola Special Economic Zone (ASEZ) and the ‘New Capital’ Fund. The research was based on data from the State Archives of Astana, as well as collections of documents on the history of the capital’s relocation. Research findings: previously under-studied archival materials (including reports from the State Archive of Astana for 1997) have been introduced into academic discourse; data on the activities of the ASEZ and the ‘New Capital’ Fund have been summarised; an analysis of historiographical sources has been conducted, and other measures taken by the city administration regarding urban development, land issues and attracting investors have been analysed. It is demonstrated that it was precisely during the period 1994–1997, under the leadership of A.K. Bulekpaev, that the fundamental foundations of the capital’s infrastructure were laid and mechanisms for the accelerated development of the new capital were established.