BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 15. Today, a nationwide referendum is being held in Kazakhstan, Trend reports.
The corresponding decree was signed by the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, on February 11. The issue put to the vote concerns the adoption of a new Constitution.
The referendum in Kazakhstan is regarded as one of the most important stages of the constitutional reform.
The information ballot will contain the question: “Do you adopt the new Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the draft of which was published in the media on February 12, 2026?” Two response options are offered: “Yes, I adopt” and “No, I do not adopt”.
Thus, citizens are voting for the entire text of the new Constitution rather than for individual amendments.
The draft of the new Constitution was prepared taking into account proposals from citizens, political parties, public organizations, and experts received during the public discussion.
The draft places special emphasis on human rights and freedoms, while sovereignty, independence, the unitary nature of the state, and the country’s territorial integrity are defined as fundamental immutable values.
Among the key provisions of the draft Constitution is the establishment of a new unicameral Parliament — the Kurultai — consisting of 145 deputies with renewed and expanded powers. Its formation will be based on a proportional electoral system, and the term of office of deputies will be five years.
One of the innovations of the draft is the establishment of the institution of the Vice President and the creation of a new platform for nationwide dialogue, the “People’s Council of Kazakhstan” (Qazaqstan Halyq Kenesi).
Citizens of Kazakhstan who have reached the age of 18 and possess active voting rights are eligible to participate in the referendum.
The organization of the referendum has been entrusted to the country’s Central Election Commission. It performs the functions of the Central Referendum Commission as well as territorial and precinct referendum commissions.
Polling stations will operate from 7:00 to 20:00 local time.
A total of 12,461,796 citizens have been included in the lists of referendum participants.