The name of the only president of Kazakhstan since the disappearance of the Soviet Union (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) will be printed on the map. Kazakhstan’s capital Astana will be renamed Nur Sultan in honor of Nur Sultan Nazarbayev, state news agency Kazinform reported. The decision came from the interim president of the Asian powerhouse, Kassym Chomart Tokayev, and was unanimously approved by both houses of parliament in a historic joint session.

In order to adopt the name change, the interim president submitted directly to the Parliament the proposal requiring changes to the text of the Constitution, and the decision was approved by the country’s Constitutional Council. Forty-three senators and 102 deputies of the Majlis or lower house voted in favor of the changes.

This is the second time in a few years that the city has changed its name. Until 1998, the city, the second most populous in the country, was known as Akmola. The denomination applied only to the province in which Astana has its own political status.

In 1998, it was also decided that Astana (which simply means “capital” in Kazakh) would become the political capital of the country, instead of Almaty, which had been the year since 1929. Almaty is the most populous region in the vast territory of Kazakhstan: almost one tenth of the country’s inhabitants.

Nazarbayev, 78, unexpectedly announced his resignation yesterday after 30 years in office. He came to power in 1989, when the republic was still part of the Soviet Union. Despite his resignation, he will retain powers, such as the chairmanship of his party and the country’s Security Council. His daughter, Dariga Nazarbayeva, has become speakerwoman of the Senate, the second most important position after the presidency.

The desire to provide greater symbolism for the new capital led to the president’s resignation, the creation of a soccer team and the merger of two clubs previously based in other cities. Thus was born the Astana Locomotive in 2009, renamed Astana Football Club three years later and presided over directly by Nursultan Nazarbayev himself. The now renamed city is also named after the cycling team Astana Pro Team, with which Alberto Contador won the 2008 Tour of Spain and Giro d’Italia.