# Constitutional Court

> The Constitutional Court is an independent body of constitutional review. A citizen may challenge a normative legal act that directly affects their constitutional rights, but the constitutional law sets admissibility conditions for that route.

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

Section: Government

## Role of the Court

The Constitutional Court ensures the supremacy of the Constitution. It reviews laws and other normative legal acts within the competence set by Articles 72–75 of the Constitution.

It does not replace ordinary courts: it does not re-weigh evidence or hear an appeal on the merits of a dispute.

## Who may apply and about what

The President, Chair of the Kurultai, at least one fifth of Kurultai deputies, and the Prime Minister may apply on the matters expressly listed in Article 73, including laws before signature, Kurultai resolutions, international treaties before ratification, and official interpretation of the Constitution.

A court refers a normative act when it must apply that act and finds that it infringes constitutional rights. A citizen of Kazakhstan may challenge a law or other normative legal act that directly affects their rights and freedoms.

The constitutional law sets admissibility conditions for citizen applications. As a general rule, the challenged provision must have been applied in a concrete case and the application must be filed within one year after the relevant final court act. The law provides limited exceptions.

## Composition and independence

The Court has a Chair and ten judges. A judge serves one non-renewable eight-year term. The President appoints the Chair; the President appoints judges with the consent of the Kurultai.

The Constitution and constitutional law determine the Court’s status, guarantees, and procedure. A short explainer cannot replace legal advice where the subject, documents, and deadline matter.

## Legal force of decisions

Constitutional Court decisions take effect on the date of adoption, are binding throughout Kazakhstan, final, and not subject to appeal. A normative act or provision found unconstitutional ceases to operate and cannot be applied from the decision date or another date set by the Court.

## Verify the procedure

- [Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan](https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/constitution-court)
- [Conditions for citizen applications](https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/ksrk/press/news/details/650574?lang=en)
- [How to protect constitutional rights](/p/rights-how-to-protect?lang=en)

## Key Facts

- The Constitutional Court reviews normative acts for compliance with the Constitution within its competence
- A citizen challenges an act that directly affects their rights and must meet admissibility conditions
- The Court does not replace an appeal on the facts of a case
- Its decisions are final, binding, and set the date from which an unconstitutional rule ceases to operate

## Checked sources

- [Official publication of the 2026 Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan](https://adilet.zan.kz/rus/docs/K2600000000) – Adilet Legal Information System (checked 2026-07-16)
- [Constitutional Law on the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan](https://www.gov.kz/memleket/entities/ksrk/documents/details/395513?lang=ru) – Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan (checked 2026-07-16)

## Verified claim status

- **The Chair of the Constitutional Court is appointed by the President; Constitutional Court judges are appointed by the President with Kurultai consent for eight years.**
  - ID: `constitutional-court-appointment-scope`; status: `clarified`; valid from: `2026-07-01`; articles: 46.5, 46.8

## Qaz.Vision context

> Был создан Конституционный Суд, куда для защиты своих конституционных прав и свобод теперь могут обращаться все граждане.

- Ерлан Карин, Государственный советник
- [Source document](https://qaz.vision/dokument/1414)
- Evidence: `direct_quote; atom:7736; unreviewed`

> Он отметил, что еще одной ключевой особенностью нового текста Конституции является ориентация на права человека. Так, права и свободы человека закреплены не только в новой Преамбуле, но и утверждены в качестве особого приоритета и смыслового стержня всей Конституции.

- Ерлан Карин, Государственный советник
- [Source document](https://qaz.vision/dokument/27)
- Evidence: `attributed_speech; atom:818; unreviewed`

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Source: https://constitution.my/p/constitutional-court?lang=en
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