Kazakhstan's new constitution cementing president's grip on power approved in a referendum

A new constitution that strengthens President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s grip on power in Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest country, has won overwhelming approval in a referendum, according to preliminary results released Monday.

The country's Central Election Commission announced that over 87% of respondents in Sunday's vote supported the constitutional changes that merge the Kazakhstani parliament’s two chambers into one and give the president the right to appoint key government officials with parliament’s approval, including the restoration of the ​post of vice president. The turnout exceeded 73%.

The constitutional changes also envisage the creation of a new body, the People’s Council, alongside parliament, empowered to initiate legislation and referendums. Its members will be appointed entirely by the president.

The second constitutional change in four years was initiated by Tokayev, and some observers say it could pave the way for him to retain power after his term expires.

The 72-year-old Tokayev, a former Soviet official and Kazakhstani diplomat who previously served at the U.N., is currently limited to one seven-year term until 2029. Analysts believe Tokayev could use the referendum to reset presidential term limits. Leaders of several former Soviet republics, including Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan, have previously used new or amended constitutions to revise statutory term limits.

The new constitution also stipulates that marriage will no longer be a union of two people, but rather a union of a man and a woman. Analysts say this provision was introduced in the new constitution as a follow-up to a law banning what authorities view as “propaganda” of LGBTQ+ relations.

Tokayev, who has maintained a delicate balance between Moscow and the West since the imposition of sanctions against Russia over its war in Ukraine, explains the constitutional changes as a response to the need to make quick decisions in a rapidly changing world.

“This step is of exceptional importance, especially in the current period when the geopolitical situation is unstable and challenges and threats to national security are becoming increasingly tangible,” Tokayev said last week.

The opposition in Kazakhstan is not represented in government structures and, in the month since the referendum was announced, has been unable to significantly influence public sentiment.

The vote took place at a difficult time for Kazakhstan, where inflation reached 11.7% in February and tax increases have fueled public discontent.

Analysts say economic problems could trigger a new wave of protests akin to nationwide unrest in 2022, triggered by hikes in fuel prices, in which dozens of protesters and police were killed — something Tokayev is trying to contain by consolidating power in his own hands.

In this photo released by Kazakhstan's President Press Office, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev walks to cast his ballot at a polling station during a referendum on a new constitution, in Astana, Kazakhstan, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (Kazakhstan's President Press Office via AP)

A man poses for a photo as he casts his ballot at a polling station during a referendum on a new constitution, in Astana, Kazakhstan, Sunday, on Sunday, March 15, 2026. (AP Photo)

In this photo released by Kazakhstan's President Press Office, a woman casts her ballot at a polling station during a referendum on a new constitution, in Astana, Kazakhstan, Sunday, March 15, 2026. (Kazakhstan's President Press Office via AP)

In this photo released by Kazakhstan's President Press Office, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev casts his ballot at a polling station during a referendum on a new constitution, in Astana, Kazakhstan, Sunday, on Sunday, March 15, 2026. (Kazakhstan's President Press Office via AP)

FILE - Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev addresses the plenary session of the Russia–Kazakhstan Interregional Cooperation Forum in Uralsk, Kazakhstan, via videoconference during a meeting with Russia's President Vladimir Putin at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

BRUSSELS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 16, 2026--

AIDS Healthcare Foundation ( AHF ) Europe will hold an advocacy action in Brussels on March 18 at 11:00 a.m. CET on Archimedes Street, followed by an in-person and virtual press conference at Press Club Brussels Europe titled “ EU: Stop Blocking Health Equity,” urging European Commission (EC) decision-makers to support a legally binding Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) Annex to the WHO Pandemic Agreement. Click here to access the Press conference Zoom link, and the Facebook Event page.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260316556006/en/

Adopted in May 2025, the WHO Pandemic Agreement cannot advance until the PABS Annex is finalized. The Annex governs how pathogen samples and genetic data are shared to develop vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments, and how benefits are equitably returned. Negotiations remain difficult, with the European Commission and rich countries like Germany and Switzerland resisting key equity provisions.

With the May 2026 deadline fast approaching, failure to secure a binding agreement risks delaying ratification and repeating the inequities seen during COVID-19 — while also undermining efforts to build regional manufacturing capacity and genuine health sovereignty in low- and middle-income countries.

Key Asks to EU decision makers:

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is a global non-profit organization providing cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than 2.8 million people in 50 countries worldwide in Africa, the Americas, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Europe. We are currently the largest non-profit provider of HIV/AIDS medical care in the world. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on X: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare.

The AHF Global Public Health Institute develops and advocates for evidence-based policy change to create a more equitable and effective global health architecture. With a focus on infectious diseases and health systems, our work addresses critical gaps in global health security, equity, governance, law, and finance. The AHF Global Public Health Institute is part of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. Visit our website for more information: ahfinstitute.org

AHF banner for the advocacy campaign : "EU to Stop Blocking Health Equity" .