Citizens of Kazakhstan cast ballots Sunday on constitutional amendments that could consolidate President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s authority in the largest nation in Central Asia.
The proposed changes would combine Kazakhstan’s bicameral parliament into a single legislative body and grant the president authority to name all government officials, while also bringing back the position of vice-president.
Tokayev has championed this second round of constitutional modifications in four years, defending the changes as necessary for rapid decision-making in today’s fast-paced global environment. However, political observers suggest the amendments may create an avenue for extending his presidency beyond its scheduled conclusion.
The 72-year-old leader, who previously worked as a Soviet administrator and Kazakh foreign representative with United Nations experience, faces current restrictions limiting him to a single seven-year presidency ending in 2029. Political experts suspect Tokayev may leverage the referendum to restart presidential term calculations.
“If the transition of power doesn’t go as Tokayev would like … then he will be able to say that with the adoption of the new Constitution, we have reset presidential term limits,” analyst Temur Umarov, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, told The Associated Press. “The new constitution could provide Tokayev with a loophole for reelection to another term.”
