January 9, 2023
Results of the referendum of 2022
A landmark event for Kazakhstan in 2022 was the national referendum on amendments to the Basic Law of the country – the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, which took place on June 5. An absolute majority of Kazakhstanis voted for changes to a third of the articles of the document in the summer.
Why was the referendum held
The Head of State proposed to hold a referendum – a popular vote on amendments to the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan – on April 29. It was about amending the Basic Law of the country, which concerns every citizen and defines his basic rights and freedoms. Therefore, the President considered it fair to submit such a significant amount of amendments to the popular vote, following the principle of a “Hearing State”.
The draft law on amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan was published on May 6 this year.
Recall that the previous referendum in our country was held 27 years ago in 1995.
The changes affected a third of the Constitution
A total of 56 amendments to 33 articles were made to the Constitution of Kazakhstan.
The introduction of changes was necessary in order to help build a new system of relations between the people and the authorities. In fact, the amendments marked the transition of Kazakhstan to a new model of the state – a second Republic with a new political culture based on mutual respect and trust between the state and society. The basic principle of the new Republic is justice in everything. This also applies to taking into account the opinions of citizens on a wide range of issues of the country’s development.
“Important decisions will be made openly with the participation of citizens, because the state will listen to everyone’s voice,” the Head of State stressed in his Message to the People of Kazakhstan dated March 16, 2022.
This also applies to the fair distribution of national wealth.
“The final consolidation in the Constitution of the norm that the people are the owners of land and natural resources will be of great political importance, will exclude any discrepancies in the future. In this regard, article 6 of the Basic Law is proposed to be worded as follows: “The earth and its subsoil, waters, flora and fauna, and other natural resources belong to the people. The state exercises the right of ownership on behalf of the people,” the President noted.
According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the consolidation of this norm will help to avoid discrepancies in the distribution of the country’s natural resources in the future.
Later, in his Message in September 2022, the Head of State announced the initiative to launch the “National Fund for Children” program, which serves as a reflection of the norm being fixed. 50% of the investment income will be distributed to the accounts of Kazakhstani children from their birth until they reach the age of 18. The presidential initiative will become a reality as early as January 1, 2024.
Also in the Message, the Head of State announced the holding of early presidential elections. The elections were held on November 20 of this year. It should be noted that the President, following the updated norms of the Constitution, was not a member of any political party and was presented as a candidate from a broad popular coalition.
More than 6 million Kazakhstanis supported amendments to the Constitution
The referendum vote in June was held at more than 10,000 polling stations. The turnout at the referendum was 68.05%, almost 8 million citizens cast their votes.
The Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan announced the results of the referendum on amendments and additions to the Constitution of Kazakhstan, held on June 5. Thus, 77.18% of citizens voted for the constitutional amendments, or 6,163,516 people who took part in the voting in all regions of the country.
According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the turnout at 65 polling stations abroad was 72.95%.
Thus, the majority of citizens supported the amendments to the Constitution, thereby expressing support for the transition to a new model of the state.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addressed the people of Kazakhstan on the results of the referendum. He noted that the referendum was an important milestone in the history of the country, showed the unity and readiness of the nation for real changes.
“The high turnout was a testament to the maturity and responsibility of our society. I thank everyone who came to the polling station and supported the reforms initiated in the country. By showing genuine patriotism, you have made a significant contribution to the progressive development of Kazakhstan. I am grateful to all my fellow citizens who used their legal right and expressed their position at this fateful moment for the country,” the President said on republican TV channels.
Thus, the amendments to the Constitution launched the process of creating a new political culture in the country. All amendments are systemic in nature and are aimed at long-term changes that every citizen of Kazakhstan will feel in the future, Kazinform reports.
