Kazakhstan's President Tokayev Proposes Major Constitutional Overhaul

On February 10, 2026, Kazakhstan's Head of State, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, formally announced proposed amendments to the nation's Constitution during an expanded Government session. These changes represent a continuation of recent political reforms, signaling a shift away from a super-presidential structure toward a presidential republic featuring a more authoritative parliament and strengthened checks and balances.

The core principle guiding the draft Basic Law is the concept of a "strong president -- influential parliament -- accountable government," intended to establish a new state governance system through a redistribution of powers. The comprehensive constitutional transformation, which involved changes to 77 articles, or 84% of the existing text, was developed in January 2026 following a meeting of the Constitutional Commission. President Tokayev stated these transformations are designed to enhance institutional effectiveness and more concretely express the principle of "not man for the state, but the state for man" within the legal framework.

The final determination on these revisions will be made by the citizenry via a nationwide referendum, a term that was specifically updated in the draft from "republican referendum." Structural shifts detailed in the reform package include transitioning the bicameral legislature to a unicameral Parliament, proposed to be renamed the Kurultai, comprising 145 deputies elected exclusively through a proportional party-list system to streamline the legislative process.

Further institutional adjustments include the reintroduction of the Vice President position, appointed by the President, and the creation of a new consultative body, the People's Council of Kazakhstan. These measures aim to clarify the hierarchy of power and prevent the concentration of executive authority, a central focus of Kazakhstan's reform agenda since the January 2022 events.

Beyond governance structure, the draft Constitution addresses linguistic and social provisions. Bakhyt Nurmukhambetov, Deputy Chairman of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan, confirmed that Article 9, concerning the Russian language's use in state bodies, has been modified. The term "naravne" (on par/on an equal footing) has been substituted with "naryadu" (alongside/in a row) regarding the Russian language's official status alongside Kazakh, reinforcing Kazakh as the sole state language while codifying Russian's official role.

The overall reform package, systematized with the help of the Constitutional Commission chaired by Elvira Azimova, also elevates human rights and freedoms as the highest priority, formalizes the secular nature of the state, and underscores environmental protection as a core state responsibility. This process involved six months of public discussion and ten meetings by the Commission to consolidate proposals from citizens, political parties, and experts, underscoring a commitment to modernization and the rule of law.