{"faq_id":"86fe6335-6ad1-4c30-88a0-5493e2e3ae88","code":"constitutional-court-term-counting-july-2026","kind":"faq","canonical_slug":"constitutional-court-term-counting-july-2026","section":{"id":43,"code":"post_referendum","slug":"post_referendum","title":"Current Focus"},"lang":"en","question":"How are office terms counted after the new Constitution entered into force?","short_answer":"On July 7, 2026, the Constitutional Court explained that holding the relevant office under the 1995 Constitution does not itself prevent a new election or appointment. For limits in the new Constitution, an election or appointment after July 1, 2026 is treated as the first.","blocks":{"answer_html":"<h2>What the Constitutional Court Decided</h2>\n<p>In ruling No. 89-NP of July 7, 2026, the Court gave an official interpretation of Articles 43, 72, 83, and 84 of the new Constitution.</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Terms and appointments under the 1995 Constitution do not automatically count as a first term for limits under the 2026 Constitution.</li>\n<li>Prior service in the relevant office does not itself create a constitutional bar to election or appointment after July 1, 2026.</li>\n<li>An election or appointment after the new Constitution entered into force is treated as the first for applying the new limits.</li>\n</ul>\n<h2>Who the Interpretation Covers</h2>\n<p>The ruling concerns offices expressly named in the provisions reviewed: the President, the Chair and judges of the Constitutional Court, the Chair of the Supreme Court, and the Prosecutor General.</p>\n<h2>What the Ruling Does Not Do</h2>\n<p>It does not appoint specific people or automatically extend anyone's powers. Every election or appointment must still follow the procedure established by the Constitution and legislation.</p>\n","facts_html":"","what_not_change_html":"","where_detailed_html":"","misconceptions_html":""},"updated_at":"2026-07-16T00:00:00+00:00","article_refs":[{"number":43,"title":"President"},{"number":72,"title":"Constitutional Court"},{"number":83,"title":"Supreme Court"},{"number":84,"title":"Prosecutor's Office"}],"entity_links":[{"type":"constitutional_article","number":43,"label":"Article 43","title":"President","href":"/full-text?lang=en#article-43"},{"type":"constitutional_article","number":72,"label":"Article 72","title":"Constitutional Court","href":"/full-text?lang=en#article-72"},{"type":"constitutional_article","number":83,"label":"Article 83","title":"Supreme Court","href":"/full-text?lang=en#article-83"},{"type":"constitutional_article","number":84,"label":"Article 84","title":"Prosecutor's Office","href":"/full-text?lang=en#article-84"}],"source_records":[{"id":"constitution-2026-official","type":"constitution","url":"https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2600000000","title":"Official publication of the 2026 Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan","publisher":"Adilet Legal Information System","checked_at":"2026-07-16","reviewed_at":"2026-07-16","checked_at_label":"16 July 2026"},{"id":"constitutional-court-interpretation-89","type":"constitutional_court_decision","url":"https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/ksrk/documents/details/1038621?lang=ru","title":"Constitutional Court ruling No. 89-NP of July 7, 2026","publisher":"Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan","checked_at":"2026-07-16","reviewed_at":"2026-07-16","checked_at_label":"16 July 2026"}],"verified_claims":[],"implementation_status":null,"source_schema_records":[{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Official publication of the 2026 Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan","url":"https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2600000000","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Adilet Legal Information System"},"dateModified":"2026-07-16"},{"@type":"CreativeWork","name":"Constitutional Court ruling No. 89-NP of July 7, 2026","url":"https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/ksrk/documents/details/1038621?lang=ru","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan"},"dateModified":"2026-07-16"}],"source_citation_urls":["https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2600000000","https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/ksrk/documents/details/1038621?lang=ru"]}