Voters Back New Basic Law As Kazakhstan Records High Turnout

A majority of Kazakhstan’s voters approved a proposed constitution in a nationwide referendum, the government announced Monday, with roughly 73 out of every 100 eligible citizens casting ballots. The authorities reported 9,127,192 people took part; 7,954,667 cast ballots in favor—about 87 out of 100 of those who voted—while 898,099 opposed the measure and 146,558 ballots were invalidated.

The draft charter would overhaul several pillars of the state. It replaces the two‑chamber parliament with a single legislative body, restores the vice‑presidential post shelved in the 1990s, and creates a People’s Council, or Kurultai, empowered to propose laws and call referendums. The plan also expands presidential appointment powers and revises certain constitutional definitions, including on marriage, prompting critics to warn the changes could concentrate authority in the executive and complicate future limits on terms.

Voting varied sharply by region. Pavlodar registered the strongest pro‑reform result, with roughly 94 of every 100 ballots in favor. Northern areas such as Karaganda and North Kazakhstan showed more measured backing—about 83 of 100 voters supported the draft. In the west, Aktobe and Mangistau returned high approval rates, near 94 and 93 of 100 respectively; Mangistau, which has seen episodes of industrial unrest including strikes in Zhanaozen that helped spark nationwide turmoil in early 2022, again showed robust support.

City voting diverged from the countrywide pattern. Almaty produced the largest share of dissent: nearly 30 of 100 city voters rejected the draft, while turnout there reached about 33 of 100 — higher than the roughly 25 of 100 who took part in the 2024 referendum on a nuclear plant. In Almaty, about 71 of every 100 ballots were in favor. In contrast, the capitals Astana and Shymkent each saw roughly 86 of 100 voters back the new constitution.

Analysts pointed to several drivers of the unusually high participation. Almaty observer Andrei Chebotarev noted that the number who voted exceeded turnout at the June 2022 referendum—7,985,769, or roughly 68 of 100 eligible voters—and the October 2024 vote on the nuclear plant, which drew 7,820,204 participants, or about 64 of 100. He said the subject’s perceived importance and the repeated use of public votes in recent years likely boosted interest. Other commentators highlighted the timing of the poll, an expansive information campaign, stepped‑up measures against what authorities called disinformation, and coordinated local mobilization. They also cited the lack of a unified opposition effort and the choice presented between the existing 1995 text, as amended, and the proposed 2026 charter.

After polls closed, President Kassym‑Jomart Tokayev met activists from youth groups who had taken part in the campaign and announced plans for forthcoming parliamentary elections and for March 15 to be observed each year as Constitution Day. He framed the vote as a decisive public choice about the country’s path forward. Reporting from Kazakhstan by Andrei Matveev.