Kazakhstan announces when the current parliament’s powers will end

According to the draft of the new Constitution to be put to a referendum on March 15, the Parliament of Kazakhstan formed under the current Constitution will terminate its powers on July 1, 2026. This is stipulated in Article 95 of the draft basic law.

The draft states that elections to the Kurultai must be announced by the president within one month after the Constitution enters into force and held within two months.

Under Article 94, the new Constitution adopted by referendum will come into force on July 1, 2026, while the current Constitution will lose its legal force on the same day. The day the new Constitution is adopted will be declared a national holiday — Constitution Day of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

It is also stipulated that within two months from the opening of the first session of the first convocation of the Kurultai, the president must appoint a vice president with the consent of the deputies. Within the same period, the chair and judges of the Constitutional Court, the chair and members of the Central Election Commission, and the chair and members of the Supreme Audit Chamber must also be appointed.

Until the new composition is formed, the chair and judges of the Constitutional Court, the chair and members of the Central Election Commission, and the chair and members of the Supreme Audit Chamber appointed under the Constitution of August 30, 1995, will retain their powers.

The chair of the Supreme Court, the governor of the National Bank, the prosecutor general, the chair of the National Security Committee, the chair of the Supreme Judicial Council, and the ombudsman must also be appointed within two months from the date the Constitution enters into force.

Judges of the Supreme Court, local and other courts, deputies of maslikhats, and other officials elected or appointed under the 1995 Constitution will remain in office until the end of their terms, in accordance with the Constitution and the law.

Earlier, it was reported that the draft of Kazakhstan’s new Constitution stipulates that freedom of speech and freedom to disseminate information must not infringe on the honor and dignity of others or harm citizens’ health.

On February 11, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree to hold a nationwide referendum on the draft Constitution on March 15, 2026. About 84 percent of the constitutional text will be rewritten, and amendments will cover 77 articles.

At the fifth meeting of the National Kurultai held in Kyzylorda on January 20 this year, President Tokayev said the country would return to a unicameral parliament to be called the Kurultai, restore the position of vice president, abolish the position of state advisers, and introduce a number of constitutional amendments.

For reference, the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan has been amended six times to date, most recently in 2022.

Constitutional amendments:

1998 – The terms of the president and members of parliament were extended. 2007 – A proportional electoral system was introduced and the First President was granted the right to be elected an unlimited number of times. 2011 – Procedures for holding early presidential elections were established. 2017 – Some presidential powers were transferred to parliament and the government. 2019 – Amendments were made following the renaming of the capital to Nur-Sultan. 2022 – One-third of the Constitution (33 articles) was amended through a nationwide referendum, and the presidential term was set as a single seven-year term.