Kazakhstan Citizens Back New Constitution That Could Extend President’s Rule

Exit polls indicate Kazakhstan voters overwhelmingly supported a new constitution on Sunday that might allow President Tokayev to remain in office past 2029. The constitutional changes recreate the vice presidency and grant the president expanded appointment powers.

Citizens of Kazakhstan have endorsed a revised constitution through Sunday’s referendum, with early polling data suggesting the changes could potentially enable President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to extend his tenure beyond the scheduled 2029 conclusion of his term in the energy-rich Central Asian nation.

Exit polling indicated approximately 87% of participants supported the constitutional revisions, while election officials reported voter participation reached 73%.

The updated constitution reorganizes the nation’s legislative body and reestablishes the vice presidential position, which had been eliminated in 1996. Under the new framework, the president gains authority to select the vice president along with numerous other senior government positions.

The rapid development of these constitutional changes led some political observers within Kazakhstan to speculate that Tokayev might be positioning to either designate a successor as vice president before stepping down early, or potentially use the new constitution to reset his term limitations and remain in office.

The previous constitution and the newly adopted version both restrict presidents to a single seven-year term, a constraint that Tokayev implemented in 2022.

Following his vote in the capital city of Astana, when questioned by media about whether the constitutional changes would enable a power transition, Tokayev stated that the upcoming presidential contest would occur in 2029 at the conclusion of his current term.

“Some experts suggest that competition for power in Kazakhstan is reportedly intensifying, and that various trends giving rise to concern are on the rise,” Tokayev said. “However, there are absolutely no grounds for worry that this will have a negative impact on society.”

Resistance to the constitutional revision remained minimal, with government-sanctioned polling organizations reporting substantial majorities supporting the new document. Since gaining independence from Soviet rule in 1991, Kazakhstan’s leadership has exercised strict oversight of political activities in the nation of 20 million residents.

In an uncommon public declaration, Nursultan Nazarbayev, who served as Kazakhstan’s president from 1991 through 2019, announced his support for the new constitution.

Through a statement posted on his official website, the 85-year-old Nazarbayev wrote: “Some time ago, I made the choice to entrust (the presidency) to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, and I stand by that choice forever. It is my hope that this Constitution will serve the well-being of our Kazakhstan and the welfare of our people.”

Nazarbayev, who previously served as Tokayev’s political mentor, lost his remaining official roles and authority following violent unrest in January 2022 that resulted in hundreds of deaths.

Tokayev has characterized the January 2022 violence as an attempted overthrow orchestrated by security service members who remained loyal to his predecessor. Multiple long-serving associates of Nazarbayev have faced imprisonment since the 2022 disturbances.