{"faq_id":"6ddd0ceb-71ea-4325-974d-0e339f5319f4","code":"how-developed","kind":"faq","canonical_slug":"how-developed","section":{"id":23,"code":"about","slug":"about","title":"About the Constitution"},"lang":"en","question":"How the New Constitution Was Developed","short_answer":"The new Constitution was created openly, with the participation of experts, citizens, and representatives of all regions. The process took six months – from September 2025 to February 2026 – and included collecting proposals, expert review, public discussions, and coordination.","blocks":{"answer_html":"<h2>Development Timeline</h2>\n<p><strong>Stage 1: Launching the Process (September 2025)</strong></p>\n<p>Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev outlined the need for constitutional reform in his Address to the Nation of Kazakhstan. The key focus – transition to a unicameral parliament and strengthening mechanisms of popular participation.</p>\n<p><strong>Stage 2: Forming the Working Group (October 2025)</strong></p>\n<p>An interdepartmental Working Group on parliamentary reform was created. Its members included:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Constitutional lawyers</li>\n<li>Deputies of the current Parliament (all parties)</li>\n<li>Business community representatives</li>\n<li>Human rights advocates and NGO activists</li>\n<li>Public administration experts</li>\n<li>Regional representatives</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Stage 3: Collecting Citizen Proposals (October 2025 – January 2026)</strong></p>\n<p>Online platforms for proposals were launched:</p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>e-Otinish</strong> – official appeals portal</li>\n<li><strong>eGov</strong> – state services portal</li>\n</ul>\n<p>Any citizen could submit their proposal. <strong>Over 2,000 proposals</strong> were received. Each was reviewed by the working group.</p>\n<p><strong>Stage 4: Constitutional Commission Work (January–February 2026)</strong></p>\n<p>The Constitutional Commission (130+ members) was formed under the chairmanship of <strong>Elvira Azimova</strong> (Chair of the Constitutional Court).</p>\n<p>All commission sessions were held in an <strong>open format with online broadcast</strong>. Topics discussed:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Power structure</li>\n<li>Checks and balances mechanisms</li>\n<li>Citizens' rights (including digital)</li>\n<li>Electoral system</li>\n<li>Popular participation institutions</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Stage 5: Publication and Final Discussion (February 2026)</strong></p>\n<p>The new Constitution was published for public review. Events held:</p>\n<ul>\n<li>Expert roundtables</li>\n<li>Regional discussions</li>\n<li>Media briefings</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Stage 6: Referendum (March 15, 2026)</strong></p>\n<p>Citizens made the decision on March 15, 2026: voting took place on March 15, 2026.</p>\n<h2>Who Participated in Development</h2>\n<p><strong>Constitutional Commission members (130+):</strong></p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Lawyers</strong> – constitutionalists, judges, prosecutors</li>\n<li><strong>Parliamentarians</strong> – deputies from all factions (Amanat, Auyl, QHP, Respublika, OSDP)</li>\n<li><strong>Business</strong> – representatives of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs &quot;Atameken&quot;</li>\n<li><strong>Civil society</strong> – NGOs, human rights advocates, activists</li>\n<li><strong>Regions</strong> – representatives of all oblasts and cities of republican significance</li>\n<li><strong>Academia</strong> – scholars, legal researchers</li>\n<li><strong>Media</strong> – journalists, editors</li>\n<li><strong>Culture</strong> – figures from culture and arts</li>\n</ul>\n<p><strong>Gender balance:</strong> maintained (at least 30% women).</p>\n<p><strong>Regional balance:</strong> all regions of Kazakhstan represented.</p>\n<h2>Process Transparency</h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>All sessions broadcast live</strong> – on official portals and YouTube</li>\n<li><strong>Materials published</strong> – minutes, transcripts, proposals (anonymized)</li>\n<li><strong>Open communication channel</strong> – citizens could ask questions via eGov</li>\n<li><strong>Media coverage</strong> – daily briefings, interviews with commission members</li>\n</ol>\n","facts_html":"<ul>\n<li>Six months of work – September 2025 to February 2026</li>\n<li>130+ experts – lawyers, deputies, business, NGOs, regions</li>\n<li>2,000+ citizen proposals – via e-Otinish and eGov</li>\n<li>All sessions open – live broadcasts, access to materials</li>\n</ul>\n","what_not_change_html":"","where_detailed_html":"","misconceptions_html":""},"updated_at":"2026-06-16T00:00:00+00:00","article_refs":[{"number":4,"title":"Popular Sovereignty"},{"number":35,"title":"Citizen Participation"},{"number":92,"title":"Amendments by Referendum"},{"number":93,"title":"Constitutional Court Opinion"}],"entity_links":[{"type":"constitutional_article","number":4,"label":"Article 4","title":"Popular Sovereignty","href":"/full-text?lang=en#article-4"},{"type":"constitutional_article","number":35,"label":"Article 35","title":"Citizen Participation","href":"/full-text?lang=en#article-35"},{"type":"constitutional_article","number":92,"label":"Article 92","title":"Amendments by Referendum","href":"/full-text?lang=en#article-92"},{"type":"constitutional_article","number":93,"label":"Article 93","title":"Constitutional Court Opinion","href":"/full-text?lang=en#article-93"}],"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":"2026-07-19","checked_at_label":"16 July 2026"},{"id":"akorda-constitutional-documents","type":"official_publication","url":"https://www.akorda.kz/ru/official_documents/constitution","title":"Official constitutional documents","publisher":"Akorda","checked_at":"2026-07-16","reviewed_at":"2026-07-19","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":"Official constitutional documents","url":"https://www.akorda.kz/ru/official_documents/constitution","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Akorda"},"dateModified":"2026-07-16"}],"source_citation_urls":["https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2600000000","https://www.akorda.kz/ru/official_documents/constitution"]}