New possible date for Constitution Day in Kazakhstan announced
Tengrinews.kz – July 1 may become Constitution Day in Kazakhstan. This is stated in the draft of the new Basic Law, which is planned to be submitted to a national referendum.
According to the document, the new Constitution, if adopted at the referendum, will enter into force on 1 July 2026.
“If it is approved at the referendum, the day of the adoption of the new Constitution will become a public holiday,” the text says.
Referendum date
On 11 February, members of the Constitutional Commission presented to President Tokayev the results of their work on the draft of the new Constitution.
Later, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree on holding a referendum on Constitutional reform.
According to the text of the decree, the referendum on Constitutional reform in Kazakhstan will be held on 15 March, which falls on a Sunday.
A referendum is a form of direct expression of will by citizens (nationwide vote) on the most important issues of state, regional or local significance. Through a referendum, laws are adopted, amendments are made to the Constitution, or key political issues are decided. Decisions adopted at a referendum usually have binding force.
Constitutional reform in Kazakhstan
The Commission on Constitutional Reform (the Constitutional Commission) was established by Presidential decree on 21 January 2026. Its task is to develop proposals for carrying out constitutional reform.
Earlier, the President explained that initially, within the framework of parliamentary reform, it was planned to amend about 40 articles of the Constitution. But in the course of the work it turned out that many more amendments would be needed.
On 29 January, during the fifth meeting of the Constitutional Commission, the Chairman of the Republican Bar Association, Madi Myrzagaraev, proposed considering the issue of adopting a new Constitution of Kazakhstan. His proposal was supported by other members of the Commission.
On 30 January, at the Volunteers Forum in Astana, the Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev spoke about the new Constitution. The President stressed that any changes to the Constitution must be introduced through a referendum.