Kazakhstan’s constitutional court announced Tuesday that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is free to pursue another term leading the Central Asian nation, which is a major producer of energy and minerals, under a new constitution that officially took effect last week.
The decision essentially gives Tokayev a fresh start on term limits. He had previously been restricted to one seven-year term beginning in 2022, when he oversaw an earlier overhaul of the country’s constitution.
Notably, Tokayev himself asked the court to weigh in on the matter. He first came to power in 2019 as the chosen successor of Kazakhstan’s founding president, Nursultan Nazarbayev.
The new constitution was drafted and ratified within just a few weeks earlier this year, immediately fueling widespread speculation about what it could mean for Tokayev’s political future.
While the updated constitution still caps the presidency at a single seven-year term, the court determined that terms served under the previous constitution would not count toward that limit.
What remains unclear is whether Tokayev will be required to stand for election in a snap vote, or whether he will continue serving under the terms of the old constitution through 2029.
Among other changes, the new constitution establishes a vice-presidency and consolidates parliament into a smaller, single-chamber body. Snap parliamentary elections are already set for August 23.
Before becoming president, Tokayev had a long career as a Soviet diplomat and senior United Nations official, and also served as Kazakhstan’s prime minister and foreign minister prior to succeeding Nazarbayev in 2019.
Tokayev distanced himself from his former mentor in January 2022, following a wave of nationwide unrest that left hundreds of people dead. Tokayev characterized the violence as a coup attempt orchestrated by loyalists of Nazarbayev.
