The New Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan: A Foundation for Human Rights and Institutional Modernization

The Constitutional Reform Commission has presented the draft of the new Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan for public discussion. This draft was developed based on proposals submitted by citizens, political parties, and public organizations, as well as through open discussions and comprehensive review of legal norms.

The reform originated from President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s initiative to establish a unicameral Parliament, announced in the 2025 Presidential Address. In October 2025, a working group was formed to implement parliamentary reform, during which thousands of proposals were collected from citizens.

The main objective of the new Constitution draft is to define human rights and freedoms as the primary value, enhance the effectiveness of political institutions, and secure Kazakhstan’s long-term socio-economic development prospects. The importance of the reform was emphasized at the National Kurultai held in January 2020. On January 21, the Constitutional Commission was established, comprising 130 representatives from various segments of society.

The preamble of the new Constitution proclaims such values as human rights, unity and harmony, sovereignty, the rule of law, and public order. In addition, provisions related to digitalization, intellectual property, the legal profession, and new institutions of public administration have been introduced.

According to the draft, a unicameral Parliament–Kurultai consisting of 145 deputies will be formed, the People’s Council of Kazakhstan will be established as a new consultative body, and the institution of the Vice President will be introduced.

I consider the proposed amendments in the new Constitution draft to be appropriate and timely. These changes are expected to have a positive impact on the socio-economic development of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The new Constitution establishes human rights as the highest value and defines a development trajectory based on justice, the rule of law, secularism, protection of rights in the digital environment, and human capital–driven growth.

The final decision will be adopted through a nationwide referendum.

Beisenbayev Zh.T., PhD in Economics, Assistant Professor