Referendum on amendments to the constitution of Kazakhstan. File photoNUR-SULTAN, June 6The referendum on amendments and additions to the constitution of Kazakhstan was held at a high organizational level, in accordance with the law, Leonid Anfimov, head of the CIS observer mission, said. The constitutional referendum in Kazakhstan was held on June 5. The Central Election Commission reported that the turnout was 68.06%. According to preliminary data, the amendments to the constitution were supported by 77.18% of voters. A positive answer to the question of the referendum was given by the majority of voters in all regions of the country. «The mission of observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States believes that the referendum on amendments and additions to the constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan was held at a high organizational level, in accordance with the current legislation,» Anfimov said at the briefing on Monday. According to him, the organizers of the referendum provided conditions for the exercise of citizens' rights to free expression of will. The head of the mission explained that CIS observers visited 865 polling stations and noted the organization and transparency of the voting process.
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«The necessary conditions were created for national and international observers to observe the voting process. The referendum precincts were equipped with information materials and the necessary equipment. The vote counting procedure was carried out in accordance with the legislation on the referendum, the observers were provided with a complete overview of the actions of the members of the precinct commissions,» he said. «In their reports, the CIS observers noted a few and minor violations, which were more of a technical than of a fundamental nature, which, in the opinion of the mission, could not have an impact on the results of the referendum,» Anfimov said. 144 people from the CIS mission. The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, previously stated that the coup attempt in January 2022 confirmed the need for an early political modernization of the country, in connection with which the amendments to the basic law were submitted for referral endum.
The referendum is just the beginning of a lot of work, Tokayev said. The amendments are intended to consolidate the final transition from a «super-presidential» form of government to a presidential republic with an influential parliament and an accountable government. To this end, the amendments reduce the excessive concentration of presidential powers. In particular, the participation of the head of state in the formation of the upper house of parliament is reduced, his influence on local representative and executive bodies is limited. In addition, a ban is established on the head of state's membership in political parties for the period of the presidency. Similar requirements will apply to chairmen and members of the CEC, the counting committee, heads of regions and their deputies. The amendments also prohibit close relatives of the head of state from occupying leadership positions in state and quasi-state structures. A number of amendments are aimed at respecting the rights and freedoms of citizens, including the creation of a constitutional court, the consolidation of the status of an ombudsman at the constitutional level and an unconditional ban on the death penalty. In addition, the updated constitution will exclude mention of the status, powers and privileges of the country's first president.