Kazakhstan's Constitutional Referendum on Presidential Powers

Kazakhstan is holding a referendum on a new constitution proposed by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The changes aim to strengthen presidential powers by merging parliament's two chambers into one, giving the president the right to appoint all government officials, and potentially resetting presidential term limits. Analysts like Mario Bikarski and Temur Umarov suggest these reforms are unlikely to address public demand for greater political accountability and justice, and could allow Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to retain power beyond his current term. The move is also seen as an attempt to prevent a repeat of the 2022 unrest, which was triggered by fuel price hikes and exacerbated by high inflation and tax increases. The new constitution also includes a provision defining marriage as a union of a man and a woman, reflecting a trend towards 'traditionalism' seen in other former Soviet republics like Russia.