# What the 1993 Constitution Was

> The 1993 Constitution was the first Constitution of independent Kazakhstan. It established the legal foundations of sovereignty and marked the transition from the Soviet legal order to a national constitutional system. It remained, however, a transitional document and was soon superseded by a more stable constitutional model.

Canonical URL: https://constitution.my/p/constitution-history-1993?lang=en
Language: en
Updated: 2026-07-26

Section: History

## Historical role

After independence, Kazakhstan needed a new legal foundation for its statehood. In that context, the Constitution adopted on **January 28, 1993** became the first full Constitution of independent Kazakhstan.

It:
- affirmed sovereignty
- laid the foundations of a national legal order
- established basic rights and freedoms
- defined the first structure of state institutions

## Why it was a transition document

The 1993 Constitution reflected a period of transformation. Kazakhstan was moving away from the Soviet system, but many institutional ideas were still in formation.

Its main features included:
- a transition-era political design
- incomplete clarification of relations between branches of power
- institutional experimentation typical of a new state
- a constitutional model that had not yet fully stabilized

## Why it did not remain in force for long

The 1993 Constitution played an important role, but practice soon showed its limits:

- the balance of powers was not yet fully settled
- state-governance mechanisms required greater clarity
- political and economic changes demanded a more stable institutional design

These factors contributed to the need for a new constitutional framework in 1995.

## Its legacy

The 1993 Constitution remains historically important because it:
- marked the beginning of independent constitutional statehood
- opened the first stage of Kazakhstan’s constitutional development
- prepared the ground for the 1995 Constitution

It was important not because it was final, but because it fulfilled the task of the transition period.

## Key Facts

- The 1993 Constitution was adopted on January 28, 1993
- It was the first Constitution of independent Kazakhstan
- It was a transition-era constitutional document
- It laid the foundation for the 1995 constitutional model

## Checked sources

- [Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan of 1995 (official archive publication)](https://www.gov.kz/uploads/2020/2/11/92594e9ba28352a961ca421505b4b79a_original.146163.pdf) – Gov.kz (checked 2026-07-16)
- [Official constitutional documents](https://www.akorda.kz/ru/official_documents/constitution) – Akorda (checked 2026-07-16)

---
Source: https://constitution.my/p/constitution-history-1993?lang=en
© 2026 Constitution.my – informational resource, not an official legal source