"Mening Qazaqstanym" (My Kazakhstan) is the current national anthem of Kazakhstan, adopted on January 7, 2006. It is based on a homonymous song written in 1956, with music by Shamshi Kaldayakov and lyrics by Jumeken Najimedenov. This replaced Anthem of the Republic of Kazakhstan as the state anthem, which was used after independence. The original lyrics were modified by Nursultan Nazarbayev, the President of Kazakhstan, before the decree was issued.Shamshi Kaldayakov was born on August 15, 1937 in Otyrar District, South Kazakhstan Province and died on February 29, 1992 in Almaty. Jumeken Sabiruli Najimedenov was born in 1935 in Kurmangazy district and died on 1983in Atyrau province.
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev (born 6 July 1940 in Chemolgan, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union) has served as the President of Kazakhstan since the Fall of the Soviet Union and the nation's ndependence in 1991.
In 1984 Nazarbayev became the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, working under Dinmukhamed Konayev, the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan. He served as First Secretary of the Kazakh Communist Party from 1989 to 1991.
Nazarbayev criticized Askar Kunayev, head of the Academy of Sciences, at the 16th session of the Communist Party of Kazakhstan in January 1986 for not reforming his
department. Dinmukhamed Kunayev, Nazarbayev's boss and Askar's brother, felt deeply angered and betrayed. Kunayev went to Moscow and demanded Nazarbayev's dismissal while Nazarbayev's supporters campaigned for Kunayev's dismissal and Nazarbayev's promotion. Mikhail Gorbachev ignored them both, firing Kunayev but replacing him with Gennady Kolbin, an ethnic Russian, triggering three days of riots known as the Jeltoqsan.Nazarbayev replaced Kolbin, who despite his office had little authority in Kazakhstan, on 22 June 1989. He was Chairman of the Supreme Soviet (head of state) from 22 February, to 24 April 1990. Nazarbayev was elected President of Kazakhstan by the Supreme Soviet on 24 April. He won the 1991 presidential election on 1 December, winning 91.5% of the vote in an election in which no other candidate ran against him.
The sheet above was issued in 2005 features the Symbols of Kazakhstan (flag, arms and anthem). Below is the co-lyricist, President Nazarbayev.
