US EditionKazakhstanis vote in referendum on new constitution that would cement president’s grip on power
About 87% of Kazakh voters approved changes that merge parliament into one chamber and restore the vice-president post, expanding presidential appointment powers.
- On Sunday, Kazakhs head to the polls in a referendum on expanding presidential powers, with over half of approximately 12.5 million registered voters having cast ballots by 2:00 pm, electoral authorities reported.
- President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev frames the overhaul as post-2022 reforms to enable quicker decisions and rebalance ties with the European Union, Russia, and China.
- The proposals would merge the parliament's two chambers into the Kurultai and abolish the Senate, giving the president appointment powers including restoring the vice‑president post.
- Authorities mobilised famous athletes and workers in the mining and oil industries to boost turnout, while several critics were summoned or briefly detained and journalists fined, international observers said elections are often predictable.
- The amendments would allow the president to dissolve parliament and rule by executive orders if nominees are rejected twice, and analyst Temur Umarov warned it could reset presidential term limits; rights groups say democratic institutions remain tightly controlled.
132 Articles
132 Articles
According to the government, citizens in the Central Asian Republic of Kazakhstan voted for a new constitution.
In a referendum last weekend, Kazakhstanis voted overwhelmingly for a new constitution. It grants President Tokayev, among other things, the power to appoint high-ranking judges and a vice president. Critics fear that the country is sliding further towards autocracy under pressure from Moscow.
Tokayev: Pezeshkian is a cardiac surgeon who does not solve anything in Iran
Masoud Pezeshkian is a cardiac surgeon who does not solve anything in Iran. This statement was made by the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev at a briefing after the announcement of the results of the referendum on the adoption of the new Constitution.
The Northern Virginia Daily
Kazakhstan's new constitution cementing president's grip on power approved in a referendum
A new constitution that strengthens President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s grip on power in Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest country, has won overwhelming approval in a referendum. The country’s Central Election Commission announced that over 87% of respondents in Sunday’s vote supported the…
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