First President Day in Kazakhstan

Every 1 December is First President Day in Kazakhstan, which commemorates the election of Kazakhstan’s first president after independence from the USSR in 1990.

Year	Date	Day	Holiday
2020	1 Dec	Tue	First President Day
2021	1 Dec	Wed	First President Day
Please scroll down to end of page for previous years' dates.

When the Soviet Union broke up, Kazakhstan was the last Soviet Socialist republic to declare its independence. On 1 December, 1991, Kazakhstan proceeded to elect Nursultan Nazarbayev as their first president. Nazarbayen had already been leader of Kazakhstan from just before its independence in 1989.

President Nazarbayen’s decades long term as president was made possible when the nation’s constitution, which forbids any president serving more than two five-year terms in office, was amended to allow him and him alone to have as many terms as he wished. This was done because of Nazarbayen’s immense popularity and his perceived positive contributions to national progress.

President Day first became a public holiday in 2011, while Nazarbayen was still the sitting president. The day is meant to honour President Nazarbayen himself but also to remember the triumph of democracy in Kazakhstan after 70 years of oppressive Communist rule.

Previous Years

Year	Date	Day	Holiday
2019	1 Dec	Sun	First President Day
	2 Dec	Mon	First President Day Holiday
2018	1 Dec	Sat	First President Day
	3 Dec	Mon	First President Day Holiday
2017	1 Dec	Fri	First President Day