Referendum on amendments to the constitution of KazakhstanNUR-SULTAN, 5 Jun. Amendments to the constitution of Kazakhstan were supported by more than 70 percent of voters, according to exit polls. Thus, according to the Institute «Public Opinion», 74.8 percent of voters voted for amendments to the basic law. At the same time, according to the Sotsis-A Institute, this figure is 76.4 percent, and according to the Democracy Institute, it is 79.4 percent. .jpg» />The head of Kazakhstan does not plan to extend his term of office. According to preliminary data from the Central Election Commission, the turnout at the constitutional referendum after the closure of all polling stations located in the republic amounted to 68.44 percent. According to local law, it is considered valid if more than half of the citizens eligible to participate in the plebiscite took part in the vote. Earlier, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that the coup attempt in January 2022 confirmed the need for an early political modernization of the country, after which amendments to the basic law were put to a referendum.The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kazakhstan did not record violations during the referendum. They are designed 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. Thus, 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 introduced on the president's membership in political parties for the period of being in power. 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 president from holding leadership positions in state and quasi-state structures. Some 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, references to the status, powers and privileges of the first president of the country will be removed from the updated constitution.
