Kazakhstan’s president announces parliamentary elections
Tengrinews.kz — President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has announced parliamentary elections, citing Akorda.
The Head of State drew attention to the fact that the new Constitution is primarily focused on young people. According to him, the Basic Law now includes such important concepts as volunteer activity, science, innovation, and artificial intelligence.
“A large-scale campaign was carried out. We have a lot of work ahead of us. Parliamentary elections will take place this summer, and we must conduct them in a united way, as one country. I believe this should become a parliament of youth,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at a meeting with young people who took an active part in the referendum.
Earlier, the results of the exit polls conducted during the national referendum on the new Constitution were announced in Kazakhstan.
According to the Eurasian Integration Institute, 86.7 percent voted in favor of adopting the new Constitution. A poll by the Socis-A Institute showed that 87.4 percent voted in favor of the new Constitution.
Exit poll results from the Institute of Public Policy showed that 88.6 percent of respondents supported the new Constitution.
How Kazakhstanis voted in the referendum
On March 15, Kazakhstan held a referendum on the new Constitution. Polling stations across the country operated from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Voting rights were granted to Kazakhstan citizens over the age of 18 who were included in the voter lists. A total of 12,461,796 people were included in the lists.
On the day of the referendum, 10,388 polling stations were open across the country. Another 71 polling stations were opened at Kazakhstan’s diplomatic missions in 54 countries around the world. At 92 polling stations, mainly in military units, commissions began work earlier — at 6:00 a.m.
By 10:00 a.m., 2,393,844 Kazakhstanis had received ballots, which amounted to 19.21 percent of citizens eligible to vote.
By 12:00 p.m., that number had risen to 4,677,595 voters, or 37.54 percent of the citizens included in the lists.
By 2:00 p.m., the referendum was declared valid. 6,471,378 people had taken part in the vote. Turnout at that point was 51.93 percent.
Reference: The law recognizes a referendum as valid if more than half of eligible voters take part in it.
By 4:00 p.m., 8,029,286 Kazakhstanis had voted, and by 6:00 p.m., more than 70 percent of voters — 8,845,280 people — had cast their ballots.
By 8:00 p.m., 9,126,850 people had taken part in the referendum. The Central Referendum Commission recorded preliminary turnout at 73.24 percent.
The results will be announced by March 21, 2026.
New Constitution
It should be recalled that the constitutional amendments affected 84 percent of the text of the country’s main law.
Among the key changes are the introduction of the position of vice president, the transition to a unicameral parliament — the Kurultai, and the creation of a new advisory body — the People’s Council of Kazakhstan.
A new requirement has also been introduced for presidential candidates: at least five years of experience in public service or elected office. In addition, the powers of the Head of State in appointing high-ranking officials have been expanded. At the same time, the rule that the president is elected for only one term remains in force.
Additionally, the document enshrines new provisions on citizens’ rights and freedoms, the status of languages, the regulation of religion, marriage as a union between a man and a woman, and also introduces additional rules on the protection of personal data and privacy.
Furthermore, the amendments provide for new rules for international treaties, special legal regimes in the regions, and transparency of foreign funding for organizations.