ASTANA, March 15. /TASS/. The nationwide referendum on a new constitution will be held in Kazakhstan on Sunday.
The amendments were proposed by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in September 2025. He suggested replacing a bicameral parliament with a unicameral one. Later, in January, Tokayev put forward other proposals: to create the post of a vice president, to reform consultative bodies, change the constitution’s preamble and introduce a series of other amendments.
The constitutional commission of over 100 politicians, experts and social activists was created. Its members ruled that a new constitution needs to be adopted, because the proposed amendments affect over 80% of the current version.
On February 11, it was announced that the new edition of the constitution was drafted, and, on the same day, the president signed a decree setting the referendum date for March 15. The draft was published on February 12.
The only question in ballots will be "Do you accept the new constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, whose draft was published by the media on February 12, 2026."
Voting process
Over 10,000 polling stations will open all across Kazakhstan on the voting day. Also, 71 polling stations will be opened in Kazakh embassies and consulates in 54 countries.
The majority of polling stations will work between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 p.m. local time (2:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. GMT).
In all, Kazakhstan has over 12.4 million of registered voters. The referendum will be declared valid if more than a half of registered voters cast their ballot. The final decision requires absolute majority.
The official statement on the vote’s results is to be published within seven days after the vote, or until March 21.
The vote will be observed by 359 international observers from 38 foreign countries and 11 organizations.
Journalists from over 200 foreign media outlets have been accredited to cover the event.
If the new constitution comes into force, the current bicameral parliament will be dismissed, and new parliamentary elections will be held. The government of Kazakhstan will have to resign, and the new cabinet will be appointed. The vice president is to be appointed within two months from the parliament’s first session.