2026 Kazakh constitutional referendum
constitutional referendum in Kazakhstan
A constitutional referendum was held in Kazakhstan on 15 March 2026 to determine whether to approve the draft of a new constitution of Kazakhstan. According to official results, it was supported by nearly 90% of voters, with 10% against, and a turnout of 73%, the highest for any national vote since 2019 and the largest for a referendum since 1995. This was the fifth referendum since Kazakhstan's independence and the third constitutional referendum since 2022.
The referendum followed President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's 2025 State of the Nation Address, in which he announced parliamentary reforms aimed at amending the 1995 Constitution of Kazakhstan, with a constitutional referendum initially planned for 2027 to implement this package of amendments. However, discussions within the working group expanded the scope of the proposed reforms—including restructuring parliament, redefining the balance of powers between state institutions, and expanding constitutional guarantees of human, digital, and environmental rights—prompting consideration of an entirely new constitution. A Constitutional Commission was subsequently established to draft the new text, and after a series of meetings and public consultations that gathered thousands of proposals from citizens and experts.
The draft constitution proposed significant institutional changes, rewriting approximately 84% of the 1995 Constitution and introducing 95 articles, including replacing the bicameral Parliament of Kazakhstan with a unicameral Kurultai, reintroducing the office of vice president, ensuring the separation of religion and state, and revising provisions related to the judiciary, civil rights, and the structure of the executive branch. Some political analysts and civil society groups argued that certain provisions could strengthen presidential authority and affect presidential succession. The draft also constitutionally codified the prohibition of same-sex marriage in Kazakhstan by defining marriage as a union between a man and a woman. Following its submission to Tokayev on 11 February 2026, he signed a decree on holding the republican referendum.
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