Kazakhstan’s President proposes a referendum to make amendments in constitution

Asia-Pacific, News April 30, 2022 , by IRIA No Comments

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev made a major announcement on April 29, at the annual session of the national assembly. During the address, he proposed a referendum in order to determine whether or not constitutional amendments should be made in Kazakhstan.

Although no specific date was announced for the proposed referendum, it is expected to take place in the next one to three months.

Earlier this week, Tokeyev sent a draft to the Constitutional Court for consideration of amendments. The draft proposed amendments in at least thirty-three different constitutional articles. Some major amendments include the abrogation of the death penalty, a ban on political party membership for the chair and member of the Central Election Commission, a ban on the political party affiliation for the President, and also a ban on the president appointing his close relatives to the government and quasi-public sector positions.

The amendments in the constitution are focused on limiting the presidential powers and shifting them back to the parliament, the representative of Kazakhstan’s 19 million population. The proposal has come only a few days after Tokayev approved a National Action Plan to implement the reforms that he promised during his March 16 state address, which was titled, “New Kazakhstan: The Path of Renewal and Modernization”.

“The draft law envisages further improvement of the forms of super-presidential governance that currently exist in the country. To this end, the head of state transfers some of his powers to other bodies or executes them by agreement with them. This is a continuation of the decentralization process that has been taking place in the country in recent years,” said Bakhyt Nurmukhanov, a member of a working group and head of the Constitutional Council Staff.

*^{Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. (Image Credit: Kazakhstan government)}*

Kazakhstan had its last referendum in 1995 which was also proposed to make a constitutional amendment that shaped the country’s current constitution. Kazakhstan’s law also allows the constitutional amendments through holding a vote in the parliament, however, President Tokayev wants to employ the referendum method to avoid any serious challenges to amendments by the other parliamentary parties including his coalition and supporters.

“I have initiated amendments to the Constitution, which are fundamental in nature and significantly alter the country’s political system. We are transitioning to a new state model, a new format of interaction between the state and society. This qualitative transition can be called the Second Republic,” said Tokayev while addressing the assembly’s meeting.

The Constitutional Council has a few more days for issuing its conclusion on the matter. After the Constitutional Council provides its final decision on the amendments, a Presidential decree would initiate the process of the referendum by announcing the date and proposing the referendum question.