Kazakhs head to the polls to decide on a sweeping constitutional overhaul, with reforms promising a new political system but also centralising presidential power.
ALMATY: Kazakhstan holds a constitutional referendum on Sunday, with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev branding the overhaul as a move toward democratisation.
The vote proposes changes to around 80% of the country’s basic law. Tokayev, who seeks to balance ties between the EU, Russia and China, has framed the reforms as a break from the nation’s “super-presidential” past.
He pledged to liberalise the political system after deadly 2022 protests over living costs left 238 people dead. Announcing the amendments in February, he said they would create “a new system of state governance” and “strengthen the checks and balances system”.
However, several proposals appear to strengthen presidential powers. The president would gain the ability to appoint top officials like the central bank and intelligence chiefs.
These positions currently require approval from the Senate, the parliament’s upper chamber, which would be abolished under the amendments. A new single-chamber assembly, the Kurultai, would be created instead.
The head of state could dissolve this new parliament and rule by executive orders if it refuses to approve his nominees to key posts twice. The amendments also propose a further tightening of freedom of speech.
The draft text states that free speech must not “undermine the morality of society or violate public order”. Demonstrations, already rare in Kazakhstan, could face further limitations.
The sweeping overhaul was proposed just a month ago and rushed through a hasty two-week campaign that saw little criticism. International observers say elections in Kazakhstan often ratify decisions taken by the leadership.
Tokayev brands himself as a reformer seeking to break with the country’s authoritarian past. Rights groups, however, say democratic institutions remain tightly controlled.
To boost turnout and support, authorities have involved famous athletes and mobilised workers in the crucial mining and oil industries. Several critics of the reforms have been summoned by police or briefly detained.
Journalists who published independent opinion polls have also been fined.
The Sun Malaysia
