AKIPRESS.COM - Today Kazakhstan celebrates national holiday the Day of the First President.

December 1 was announced the national holiday in December 2011 when the Senate of the Parliament adopted the relevant law.

Nursultan Nazarbayev, 76, is the first and the only President-elect, the winner of the very first elections in Kazakhstan.

Nazarbayev is leading the Central Asian nation since 1989, when he was named First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Kazakh SSR, and was elected the nation's first president following its independence from the Soviet Union in December 1991. He holds the title 'Leader of the Nation.'

In April 2015, Nazarbayev was re-elected with almost 98% of the vote.

On the occasion of this holiday, Kazakhstan central bank is releasing a commemorative note - 10,000 tenge - with the image of Nursultan Nazarbayev.

Kazakh central bank earlier said that it is issuing the Nazarbayev banknotes to honor the first president's contribution to the development of the country.

On November 23, Kazakh Parliament member Kuanysh Sultanov proposed to rename Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, after Nursultan Nazarbayev, but later the suggestion was rejected by Nazarbayev.

On the eve of the holiday, a 4.5-meter bronze Nursultan Nazarbayev monument was unveiled in Taldykorgan, Almaty region.