Kazakhstan Opens 71 Polling Stations Abroad for Constitutional Referendum

Polling stations for the national referendum have opened across Kazakhstan and in dozens of countries worldwide. Kazakh citizens living abroad will be able to cast their votes at 71 designated locations spread across 54 different nations.

However, due to complex geopolitical situations and a low number of registered citizens, polling stations will not be established in ten specific countries. The affected states are Iran, Israel, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (where two stations were planned), Oman, Lebanon, Kuwait, Ukraine, and Ethiopia.

A total of 14,380 Kazakh citizens residing overseas are eligible to participate in the referendum from abroad. Voting commenced at the first international stations in Tokyo and Seoul at 3:00 AM Astana time. By 8:00 AM local time, 23 foreign polling places had opened their doors, recording 198 votes cast.

The final station to open will be located in San Francisco. It is scheduled to begin operations at 7:00 PM Astana time today and will close on March 16 at 8:00 AM.

Within Kazakhstan itself, voting started earlier today. Polling stations across the country are generally open from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM local time, with some exceptions like military installations opening as early as 6:00 AM. The counting of ballots will commence immediately after polls close.

The referendum ballot contains a single question: whether citizens accept the new Constitution of Kazakhstan that was published in the media on February 12, 2026. Voters must decide to either support or reject the entire document as a whole. All Kazakh citizens aged 18 and older who are included in voter lists are eligible to participate.