Kazakhstan's new Constitution puts citizens at center of state model, scholar says
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Kazakhstan's new Constitution, in force after a national referendum, launches an updated governance model that places individual rights and welfare above state interest, according to Yermek Abdrasulov, director of the Institute of Constitutionalism and Digital Law at L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. The document introduces a single-chamber Kurultai of 145 deputies elected entirely by proportional representation and enshrines digital rights and a new role for regions.
The Constitutional Shift
Yermek Abdrasulov, director of the Institute of Constitutionalism and Digital Law at L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University, said the new Constitution's entry into force is not a formal legal change but the launch of a renewed institutional framework for Kazakhstan. The document, adopted in a national referendum, closed a 30-year stage of state-building and opened a new constitutional-legal era, he said. The reform was accompanied by adoption of key constitutional laws and amendments to more than 70 codes and laws. Abdrasulov argued the central shift is that human dignity and social protection now take precedence over state interest.
Kurultai and Electoral Reform
The new Constitution replaces the two-chamber parliament with a single-chamber Kurultai of 145 deputies elected entirely by proportional representation. Abdrasulov said this changes voting from personality-based to program-based politics. The document also enshrines digital rights and incorporates 'green' transformation among state priorities. Regions receive a new role under the constitutional framework.
What's Next
The government is expected to adopt additional implementing legislation and adjust administrative practice to the new constitutional framework in the coming months. It remains unclear how quickly the proportional Kurultai and regional empowerment will change daily governance for citizens.
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Kazakhstan's new Constitution puts citizens at center of state model, scholar says
