Kazakhstan has unveiled a draft constitution for public discussion that would set a single seven-year presidential term and tighten eligibility rules for the country’s highest office
Only a citizen born in Kazakhstan and aged over 40 would be eligible to run for president, according to the draft text The head of state would be elected for a single, non-renewable seven-year term, with the provision explicitly defined as unchangeable Presidential elections would be held through universal, equal, and direct suffrage by secret ballot
The draft also reiterates restrictions on the political and economic activities of the president and their close relatives Under the proposed rules, close family members of the president would be barred from holding positions in the civil service or leading entities in the quasi-public sector, reinforcing safeguards against nepotism
Most eligibility requirements remain unchanged Presidential candidates must possess higher education, demonstrate proficiency in the Kazakh language as the state language, and have at least five years of experience in public service or elected office
The draft introduces a revised election timeline, stipulating that a presidential vote must take place within two months after the expiration of the incumbent’s term This would replace the current constitutional norm that schedules elections for the first Sunday of December
The electoral system itself would remain a two-round model A candidate securing more than 50% of votes in the first round would be declared the winner If no candidate achieves an absolute majority, a runoff between the top two contenders would be held, with the candidate receiving more votes winning the presidency
Many of these provisions reflect reforms already introduced following Kazakhstan’s 2022 constitutional referendum, which extended the presidential term from five to seven years, abolished re-election, and imposed limits on political and economic roles for the president and their relatives The new draft aims to consolidate these changes within a revised constitutional framework
Earlier, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at the V National Kurultai that the country is considering large-scale constitutional changes that could amount to a new version of the Basic Law, including possible adjustments to the structure of executive and legislative power Tokayev noted that the scope of the reforms goes beyond technical amendments and is aimed at modernizing governance mechanisms
Separately, Majilis deputy Marat Bashimov has backed proposals to strengthen constitutional guarantees for personal data protection, stressing that privacy and personal autonomy should remain among the state’s highest protected values
