- In Kazakhstan, the constitution is to be changed on several points – the people approved the changes in a referendum vote with 77.17 percent.
- This was announced by the electoral commission of the former Soviet republic. Among other things, relatives of the President are no longer allowed to hold high government offices.
- Voter turnout was officially 68.06 percent.
The regulation affects both the incumbent President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev. The referendum will also strip the latter of the honorary title of Elbassy – “Leader of the Nation” – which in the past gave him political influence even after his resignation.
Legend:
A woman casts her ballot at a polling station in the capital, Nur-Sultan, May 5, 2022.
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At the beginning of January, violent social and later also political protests and riots broke out in the ex-Soviet republic. These were crushed. According to media reports, the violent clashes have claimed more than 200 lives. To combat the unrest, troops from the Russian-dominated military alliance OKVS (Collective Security Council Organization), among others, were briefly deployed to Kazakhstan.