Kazakhstan held a referendum on June 5 to amend the Constitution. According to the Central Election Committee (CEC), more than 77% of Kazakhs voted in favor of amendments to the countryʼs main law.
This was reported by Interfax.
"77.18% of voters voted for a positive decision on the referendum, and 18.66% for a negative decision," CEC head Nurlan Abdyrov said at a briefing.
Turnout was over 68%, meaning that about 11 million Kazakhs took part in the vote.
What changes the referendum?
In a referendum in Kazakhstan, President Kasim-Zhomart Tokayev raised one question — whether citizens support the proposed changes to the Constitution. These changes include 56 amendments to almost a third of the various articles of the Constitution. Tokayev explained that the Constitution was being changed in response to the massive January protests in the country, which were subject to many political demands.
The amendments stipulate that the Constitution will completely remove references to the first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, as the founder of independent Kazakhstan, as well as his special status. In addition, the president is prohibited from being a member of political parties, he must be equidistant from all political movements in Kazakhstan, and his immediate family may not hold top government positions.
In addition, parliamentary reform is envisaged, including the transition to a mixed electoral system. 70% of the parliament will be elected by the proportional system and 30% — by the majority. Non-partisan citizens will also be able to run for parliament. This will lead to the transition of Kazakhstan from a super-presidential republic to a presidential one with a strong parliament.
The country will also resume the work of the Constitutional Court, introduce the post of ombudsman, and ban the death penalty at the legislative level.
- Large-scale protests against rising fuel prices began in Kazakhstan on January 2, but a day later they escalated into an uprising against the regime. Initially, the authorities made concessions on the fuel issue, but on January 5, the president called the protesters "terrorists" and called on the CSTO troops for help. In the cities, security forces and the military actively used weapons of war against the people.
- On January 9, Kazakh authorities said that in all regions of the country, "the situation has stabilized and is under control." CSTO troops began to leave the country. According to the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office, 225 people died during the protests, including 19 law enforcement officers and the military.