Today is Republic Day in Kazakhstan, commemorating October 25, 1990, when the Supreme Council of the Kazakh SSR adopted the “Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Kazakh SSR.” This declaration, made during the Soviet era, was a critical step toward Kazakhstan’s independence. It affirmed the Kazakh SSR as a sovereign state with the right to withdraw from the Union if desired. The declaration also stated that Kazakhstan would establish relations with other Soviet republics on a contractual basis and exercise independent state authority within its territory, though certain powers required consultation with Moscow.
After the declaration’s adoption, October 25 was celebrated as Republic Day starting in 1995 and officially recognized as a national holiday in 2001. However, in 2009, Republic Day was removed from the list of official holidays. In 2022, it was reinstated as a National Day, while December 16 remains recognized as Independence Day, marking Kazakhstan’s final break from the Soviet Union.
