A formal ceremony for the inauguration of Nursultan Nazarbayev, the president of Kazakhstan, who was newly elected for a five-year term, was held in the capital city, Astana on April 8th. The venue of the inauguration was the Palace of Independence located near the “Kazak Yeli” main square of the country on the left bank of the Ishym river in Astana. The newly elected head of state took the oath in the state language, which is Kazakh, while holding his right hand on the constitution. The text of the oath determined by the Constitution of the Republic reads: “I solemnly swear to faithfully serve the people of Kazakhstan, strictly observe the constitution and laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan, ensure the rights and freedom of the citizens, and conscientiously fulfill my highest duties of the president of the Republic of Kazakhstan”. Under the law, at that moment it was considered that the newly elected head of state took office. Then Kuandyk Turgankulov, the head of the Central Electoral Commission handed the president’s certificate to Nursultan Nazarbayev. As is now generally known, Nursultan Nazarbaev won 95.55% of the votes in the election for the president of Kazakhstan which took place on the 3rd of April. Since 1991, the year when the republic gained its sovereignty, Nursultan Nazarbayev has repeatedly won the presidential elections, with the previous time being in December 2005. As the first president, in 2007, parliament granted him the right to stand for the highest state office an unlimited number of times. Kazakhstan's president is elected at general elections for a term of 5 years. In May 2007, Kazakhstan's constitution was amended to reduce the period of execution of presidential powers from 7 to 5 years.