Kazakhstan has announced it will hold a referendum on March 15 on a new constitution that could keep President Kassam-Jomart Tokayev at the helm of Central Asia's largest economy for years to come, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA. Tokayev is currently ineligible to rule beyond 2029.
The new draft constitution would simplify the structure of Kazakhstan's parliament, replacing two chambers with one and reducing the number of deputies. It also aims to restore the vice-presidential position, abolished in 1996.
Now, Tokayev, a former Soviet and Kazakh diplomat who speaks five languages and previously headed the UN headquarters in Geneva, is limited to one seven-year term until 2029 under an amendment he himself made in 2022.
Under the new draft, Kazakh presidents will remain limited to one seven-year term.
Tokayev has previously said he would step down in 2029, but the new constitution could allow for another term if its adoption is deemed to nullify his previous term under the old constitution.
A Kazakh diplomatic source told Reuters that serving another term under the new constitution was possible but that no firm decision had yet been made.
The leaders of a number of former former Soviet republics, including Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, have previously used new or amended constitutions to nullify their legal term limits.
The move comes at a sensitive time in domestic politics for Kazakhstan, which has imposed widespread tax hikes amid double-digit inflation fueled in part by the war in Ukraine, Reuters noted. The local oil industry, which produces about 2% of the world’s oil, has also taken a hit from the conflict.
Tokayev, who previously held the posts of prime minister and foreign minister, took office in 2019 as the designated successor to Kazakhstan’s first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev. Nazarbayev initially retained significant power as chairman of Kazakhstan’s Security Council.
However, Tokayev removed his predecessor from office after civil unrest in 2022 that left hundreds dead. They were sparked by widespread dissatisfaction with the perception that they were living in a corrupt system built around Nazarbayev and his family.
One of the world's giants in energy and mineral extraction, Kazakhstan maintains good relations with the West, Russia, and China.