Until the 1950s Astana (Aqmola), was a tiny mining town. Then Nikita Khruschev announced his Virgin Lands scheme to turn 250,000 sq km of Kazakhstan steppe into wheat fields. Aqmola became the project’s capital and was renamed Tselinograd (Virgin Land city). An influx of Russians and others from the western USSR....

Democracy (Greek δημοκρατία — «people’s authority» from δñμος — «the people» and κράτος — «authority, power») – is a political system where the people are only legitimate source of authority.

In accordance with Article 3 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan «The people shall be the only source of state power. The people shall exercise power directly through an all-nation referendum and free.....