Great Expectations

Voting is taking place on Sunday (15 March)  in Kazakhstan in a nationwide referendum on a new draft Constitution. According to the Central Referendum Commission of Kazakhstan, 12,046,617 citizens are eligible to participate in the referendum. 359 international observers and 206 foreign journalists were accredited to monitor the referendum in order to ensure the transparency of the voting process. International organizations monitoring the referendum include the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the CIS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Organization of Turkic States, and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. The Central Referendum Commission must announce the final results of the vote within seven days after the referendum. A total of 10,401 polling stations are operating inside and outside the country to organize voting. 71 of them were opened at diplomatic missions in 54 countries. If citizens support the proposed changes, the new Constitution will enter into force on July 1, 2026. After that, elections for a new parliament are planned in the country, and these elections are expected to be organized by the end of August. The position of vice president will be implemented after the formation of the new parliament. The referendum is the fifth in the history of independent Kazakhstan and may lead to the adoption of a new fundamental law that will determine the direction of the country's political and legal development in the coming years. The Referendum is being held at the initiative of the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and envisages the implementation of large-scale constitutional reforms in the country. According to the submitted draft, approximately 84 percent of the text of the Constitution has been updated and new articles and sections have been developed. The question on the ballot paper asks, "Do you accept the new Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan?" Voters express their position by answering "for" or "against" this question. Currently, the Constitution adopted on August 30, 1995, is in force in Kazakhstan. Since its adoption, the document has been repeatedly amended and supplemented. The latest amendments entered into force in September 2022. However, the scale of the proposed reforms necessitated the preparation of a new Constitutional document. Thus, the amendments cover approximately 84 percent of the text of the existing basic law. The draft of the new Constitution was presented to the public in early February 2026. After the document was published, the country's citizens were given more than a month to familiarize themselves with it and discuss the proposed changes. (Click the picture to read more)