Kazakhstan Votes On New Constitution Restoring Vice President, Ending Bicameral Parliament

ISTANBUL, March 15 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Kazakhstan on Sunday held a referendum on a new constitution that proposes restoring the office of vice president and replacing the current bicameral legislature with a unicameral parliament, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.

Kazakh citizens began casting ballots at 7 am local time (0200GMT), and the voting process will end at 8 pm local time (1500GMT), according to Kazakhstan's Central Election Commission (CEC).

The CEC said it will announce the final results of the March 15 vote by March 21. For the referendum to be valid, more than half of the country’s 12.4 million eligible voters – about 6.2 million people – must participate.

According to the CEC, 359 observers from 38 countries and 11 international organisations have been accredited to observe the referendum.

Ballots carry a single question: "Do you accept the new Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the draft of which was published on Feb 12, 2026?"

The vote was first proposed by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during his State of the Nation address in September last year.

At the time, he suggested establishing a unicameral parliament "in the foreseeable future" and named 2027 as a possible date for a referendum, emphasising there should be no rush.

However, on Feb 11, Tokayev signed a decree calling for a national referendum to be held on March 15.

The president said at a government meeting that the draft of the new Constitution incorporates "important progressive norms."

He emphasised that adoption "will give a powerful impetus to the development of Kazakhstan and will help realise the potential of every citizen."

-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU