Over 12,000 Kazakh Citizens Abroad Vote in Constitutional Referendum

Voting at all 71 polling stations established at Kazakh diplomatic missions abroad for the constitutional referendum has concluded. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that a total of 12,740 citizens cast their votes across 54 countries.

The turnout among registered voters residing overseas reached 88.6 percent, according to the ministry's data.

The nationwide referendum on adopting a new Constitution was held on March 15. Polling stations within Kazakhstan operated from 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM local time. The voter list contained over 12.4 million eligible citizens aged 18 and older.

Inside the country, voting took place at 10,388 domestic polling stations. An additional 92 stations, primarily in military units, opened earlier at 6:00 AM.

By mid-day, with over six million votes cast, the Central Referendum Commission declared the referendum valid as the required turnout threshold had been surpassed.

By the close of voting at 8:00 PM, preliminary data indicated that approximately 9.13 million people had participated nationwide, representing a turnout of roughly 73.24 percent.

The official results are to be announced no later than March 21, 2026.

Exit poll results released overnight indicated strong support for the proposed changes. Surveys from several sociological institutes showed figures ranging from approximately 86.7% to 88.6% in favor of adopting the new Constitution.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokeyev later stated that the nationwide referendum was conducted at a high level, openly and fairly. He congratulated his compatriots on the adoption of the new Constitution.

The proposed amendments represent changes to about 84 percent of the text of the country's fundamental law. Key revisions include introducing the position of Vice President, transitioning to a unicameral parliament (the Kurultai), and creating a new advisory body called the People's Council.

Other significant changes involve new requirements for presidential candidates—mandating at least five years of experience in public service or elected office—and expanded powers for the Head of State in appointing high-ranking officials while maintaining a single presidential term limit.