Briefing on outcomes of Kazakhstan’s constitutional referendum held in London
The Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the UK Erlan Idrissov briefed the audience on the stages the amendments to the Constitution proposed by the President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev went through – from the creation of a special working group of legal scholars that developed the amendments to the national vote at the referendum on 5 June, the official website of the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland reads.
He also presented official data on the turnout and voting results announced by the Central Commission of the Referendum of the Republic of Kazakhstan on 7 June. With a turnout of 68.05 percent of the total number of citizens eligible to vote, the referendum was officially recognised valid. And 77.18 percent of those who voted approved the proposed amendments to 33 articles, or one third of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
209 observers from international organisations, including the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE/ODIHR), the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS), were accredited to monitor the referendum, as well as 63 observers from 25 foreign states.
«This referendum is the starting point for New Kazakhstan. The changes approved by the majority of citizens of our country will result in greater competition in Kazakhstan’s political system and expanded citizen participation in state governance. The implementation of these reforms will contribute to the comprehensive transformation of our country’s state model, including the transition from a «super-presidential» form of government to a presidential republic with an influential parliament and an accountable government,» Ambassador Idrissov stressed.
He also noted that the referendum allowed every citizen to take a direct part in the historic event that will determine the future of Kazakhstan.
Foreign journalists and experts were briefed about the large-scale programme of political reforms and socio-economic measures, part of which was the referendum. Ambassador Idrissov stressed that all these measures are being implemented despite the series of shocks that the country has gone through, including the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and the tragic January events. These measures are aimed at the deep democratisation and modernisation of the country’s political system and, ultimately, building a New Kazakhstan.