A major constitutional reform has been proposed in Kazakhstan at the beginning of 2026, on January 31, affecting 77 articles (84% of the Basic Law) in order to strengthen human rights, clarify the structure of the State, and improve the legal framework.

The President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, signed on Wednesday a decree calling for a national referendum on the country’s new Constitution to be held on March 15, with more than 12.4 million citizens eligible to vote and 20.8 billion tenge (US$42 million) allocated to organize the process. The aim is to abandon the “super-presidential” form of governance.

This profound overhaul follows the political reforms of 2022 and seeks to consolidate the democratic landscape. It follows an extensive constitutional reform process initiated by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

Speaking on Tuesday during a government meeting, Tokayev stated that the draft of the new Constitution incorporates “important progressive norms.”

He emphasized that the adoption of the new text “will give a powerful impetus to the development of Kazakhstan and help realize the potential of every citizen.” It also recognizes the people of Kazakhstan as the sole source of state power, as noted in Article 4 of the Constitution.

President Tokayev indicated that Kazakhstan is abandoning the “super-presidential form of government” in favor of a presidential republic with an influential and authoritative Parliament, according to the newspaper Yeni Şafak (February 11, 2026). L’Echo, Euractiv, and Revue Conflits. L’Echo published an article entitled: “Kazakhstan: President Tokayev Wants to Launch a Constitutional Reform.” Following this, President Tokayev accelerated democratic reforms. For example, it was decided that the upper chamber could no longer single-handedly promulgate laws, thereby strengthening the Mazhilis and parliamentarianism. One key point of democratization was the following: the President of the Republic, previously elected for a renewable five-year term, now serves a single seven-year term. He cannot be a member of a political party, and his family cannot hold positions of responsibility.

Similarly, in order to ensure greater pluralism in the country’s political life, he proposed facilitating the registration of new parties by reducing the minimum number of required members from 20,000 to 5,000.

The constitutional reform of June 2022 and the various elections that followed constituted the promising beginnings of the democratization of Kazakh political life that continued the following year. Indeed, L’Echo emphasized that the Kazakh president had demonstrated his desire to turn away from certain practices (Fouquet, C., March 16, 2022).

The Early Legislative and Local Elections of 2023

In 2023, by organizing early legislative and local elections on March 19, four years after Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s presidency began, Kazakhstan completed the overhaul of its political system, as noted for example by Euractiv.

In accordance with one of the prior recommendations of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), the President proposed transferring the quota of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan — a constitutional advisory body composed of dozens of the country’s ethnic associations — from the Mazhilis to the Senate, reducing the number of deputies from nine to five, as written by Uali, B. (2023).

The President also declared that he would step down as head of the ruling Amanat party in order to protect the country from the “political dominance” of a single force. This step was a key moment in Kazakhstan’s democratization.

François de Montmorillon wrote for revueconflits.com in 2023 that: “Kazakhstan has embarked on a series of political and economic reforms aimed at transforming the country. From strengthening parliamentary power to better wealth distribution, and enhancing the role of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, the ambition is to make the country a stable and independent regional geopolitical power.” (de Montmorillon, June 12, 2023).

The Referendum of March 15, 2026

In 2026, Kazakhstan continues its path of democratization. Tokayev has called a constitutional referendum for March 15. This information was published on the official website of the presidency.

The New Constitution

– Parliamentary system: transition to a unicameral Parliament.

The constitutional reform was launched following the President’s proposal, announced on September 8, 2025, in his annual Address to the Nation, to establish a unicameral Parliament as part of a broader political system reset. A Working Group on parliamentary reform was formed in October 2025 and conducted a six-month review process, during which more than 2,000 proposals were received from citizens via the e-Otinish and eGov platforms.

Article 1 of the Kazakh Constitution states that the Republic of Kazakhstan is a democratic, secular, legal, and social state. The highest value of the state is the person and his life, rights, and freedoms. The country is already exemplary in terms of secularism and coexistence among its various ethnic and religious communities. The democratization process will bring it even closer to the European Union, which explains the importance of the constitutional reform.

The most important change concerns the new unicameral Parliament, which will be called the Congress (Qurultay), with a structure designed to be “streamlined and functional.” The current Kazakh Parliament consists of an Assembly (Mazhilis) of 98 members and a Senate of 40 members (the latter elected by regions and the municipalities of Almaty, Astana, and Shymkent, with a quarter appointed by the President). According to the Head of State’s proposal, the new Congress would have 145 seats, three vice-presidents, and a maximum of eight parliamentary committees. Deputies would be elected for a five-year term. Tokayev explained that this configuration would allow more efficient functioning of the legislative body and better consideration of the country’s development priorities. The reform also provides for the election of deputies according to the principle of proportional representation, a measure which, according to Tokayev, will strengthen the institutional role of political parties and increase their accountability to society, according to the Agenzia Nova website (n.d.).

For this reason, in January 2026, a Constitutional Commission was established, comprising 130 members representing all regions and social groups, including members of the National Kurultai (Congress), legal experts, government officials, media representatives, chairs of maslikhats (local representative bodies), and civil society.

The Commission reviewed proposals affecting 77 articles — approximately 84% of the existing Constitution — leading to the decision to prepare an entirely new constitutional text. The draft Constitution consists of a Preamble, 11 sections, and 96 articles. It updates constitutional language, replaces outdated terminology, and reflects Kazakhstan’s evolving political system. The new Constitution, which will be adopted via a national referendum, is set to take effect on July 1, 2026.

All Commission meetings were open and publicly broadcast, with broad participation from legal professionals, human rights advocates, parliamentarians, political analysts, and academic experts.

Introduction of the Institution of Vice President

The Vice President will act on behalf of the President in engagement with domestic and foreign socio-political, scientific, cultural, and educational organizations. According to Murat Abenov, institutionalizing the office of Vice President in the new Constitution is a move aimed at boosting Kazakhstan’s international profile, according to Qazinform (February 9, 2026).

Khalyk Kenesi, Consultative Platform

At the same time, a new consultative platform, the People’s Council (Khalyk Kenesi), will be created and will assume the functions currently exercised by the Assembly of the People and the National Congress. This new body, the Head of State explained, will ensure representation of all ethnic groups and major social communities of the country, including representatives of civil society and associations.

Human and Other Rights

The new Constitution places human rights and freedoms at the center of the state’s constitutional framework. For the first time, they are declared in the Preamble as the highest priority of the state and form the guiding principle of the entire constitutional text.

Freedom of Expression

The President also made statements regarding freedom of expression, noting that the media should not operate in the interests of particular individuals or groups.

Freedom of speech is being clearly defined in Kazakhstan’s new Constitution, as written for example by the Uzbek newspaper qalamir.uz.

“The State will pay special attention to creating an open information space and strong, respected media. I am convinced that there can be no democratic transformation without independent and responsible media,” Tokayev emphasized.

For example, in early 2026, Kazakhstan’s media leaders and members of Parliament met in Astana to discuss the ongoing constitutional reform. The National Academic Library of Kazakhstan hosted a roundtable titled “Constitutional Reform 2026: Freedom of Speech, Information Accountability, and Personal Data Protection,” organized by the Chief Editors’ Club of Kazakhstan public association.

The roundtable was moderated by Bibigul Zhexenbay, a Deputy of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and Chairperson of the aforementioned club, according to Kazinform.

From a practical point of view, the new draft law “On Mass Media” is intended to replace the currently applicable 1999 law.

Fighting Corruption and Privileges

President Tokayev has also accelerated the fight against corruption, particularly targeting those who use well-placed family connections to secure privileged political or economic positions.

At the end of 2025, Kazakh State Counselor Erlan Karin chaired a December meeting of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission, as reported by Qazinform News Agency.

Mr. Konstantin Korkelia, a member of the working group of the Committee reviewing Kazakhstan’s report, emphasized that the Committee welcomed Kazakhstan’s anti-corruption reforms, according to a United Nations report published in June 2025.

President Tokayev also expressed his wish that the law prohibit, in the future, close relatives of the President from holding political office or senior management positions in state-owned enterprises, according to L’Echo.

Conclusion

The establishment of a unicameral Parliament (Qurultai) composed of 145 deputies elected under a proportional electoral system, serving five-year terms, together with the expansion of parliamentary powers and the introduction of new institutional mechanisms such as the Vice Presidency and the Khalyk Kenesi, represents a profound restructuring of Kazakhstan’s political architecture. These reforms go beyond technical amendments; they signal a systemic transformation of the governance model, redefining the balance between executive authority, legislative oversight, and citizen participation.

By abandoning the super-presidential model and reinforcing institutional pluralism, Kazakhstan is seeking to consolidate a more accountable, transparent, and representative political system. The emphasis placed on human rights, freedom of expression, anti-corruption measures, and the depoliticization of presidential family influence further illustrates an effort to modernize state institutions in line with contemporary democratic standards.

If adopted through the nationwide referendum, the new Constitution will not merely update legal provisions but will symbolically and practically inaugurate a new phase in Kazakhstan’s statehood — one that aspires to combine political stability with gradual but structured democratization. In this sense, the 2026 constitutional reform can be understood as both the continuation of the reform trajectory initiated in 2022 and a decisive step toward institutional consolidation, regional leadership in governance reform, and deeper engagement with international democratic norms.

Bibliography

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