ASTANA, Kazakhstan, March 15. Voter turnout in the referendum on the draft of the new constitution of Kazakhstan as of 14:00 local time was 70.98%, Trend reports.
The country's Central Election Commission reported that 8.84 million people out of 12.46 million have cast their votes so far.
By region, the highest turnout was in the East Kazakhstan region – 83.63%. The lowest was in the city of Almaty (32,82%).
A national referendum is taking place in Kazakhstan today. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed the corresponding decree on February 11. The vote will focus on adopting a new Constitution.
The draft of the new Constitution was prepared taking into account proposals from citizens, political parties, public organizations, and experts received during 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.