What changed after the Constitution entered into force?

The Constitution has been in force since July 1, 2026. New rights are already being applied, the key constitutional laws have been published, and the next public phase is the Kurultai elections scheduled for August 23, 2026.

Current Focus
1 min read

Main point

Once the Constitution entered into force on July 1, 2026, the reform moved into its working phase. It is now important to distinguish three things: what is already in force, which institutions are launching on a fixed timetable, and which decisions still depend on the Kurultai elections.

What Has Already Happened

  • On June 5, 2026, the signed constitutional laws on the President, the Kurultai, and the Kazakhstan People's Council were published.
  • The basic model of the new institutions is already fixed in the official texts.
  • The Constitution entered into force on July 1, while the institutional transition continues until the new bodies are formed.

What Has Been in Force Since July 1, 2026

  • The new Constitution became the Basic Law of the country.
  • The 1995 Constitution ceased to apply.
  • New constitutional guarantees are in force, including the reduction of detention without court to 48 hours. Citizen applications to the Constitutional Court have been accepted since January 1, 2023; the new Constitution preserves that mechanism.

What Is Expected Next

  • On July 1, 2026, the President signed the decree calling Kurultai elections.
  • The first elections to the unicameral Kurultai are scheduled for August 23, 2026.
  • The appointment of the Vice President depends on the formation of the Kurultai and its consent to the nominee.
  • The law on the Kazakhstan People's Council has been in force since July 1, and its Secretariat was created on July 2. No separate official date for approving the membership or holding the first session has yet been published.

Facts

  • March 15, 2026 – referendum and adoption of the new Constitution
  • June 5, 2026 – key constitutional laws signed
  • July 1, 2026 – Constitution entered into force
  • August 23, 2026 – Kurultai deputy elections
  • July 2, 2026 – Secretariat of the Kazakhstan People's Council created; the first-session date has not yet been published

Basis for this explainer

Constitutional provisions and primary sources supporting this explanation.

Primary sources

Open sources the editorial team used to verify this explainer. Checked 16 July 2026.

Related articles

Quick links to the constitutional articles behind this explainer.

Article 4Popular Sovereignty and Referendum Article 92Referendum Adoption Procedure Article 94Entry into Force Article 95Transitional Provisions Article 96Alignment of Acts
Machine-readable data and strict verification mode
Primary-source mode For strict verification, use only this block, the legal basis, and the verified-card JSONL corpus.

Continue with this topic

Related explainers that continue the subject without repeating this page.

When will the Vice President appear and what is the role?

The office of Vice President is established by the new Constitution and by the law on the President signed on June 5, 2026. The Vice President is appointed by the President with the consent of the Kurultai, so the full launch of the office depends on the formation of the new parliament.

What New Institutions Will Be Created

The reform follows different timelines: the Vice President is appointed after the first Kurultai session, the law on the Kazakhstan People's Council is in force and its Secretariat was created on July 2, while the citizen application mechanism at the Constitutional Court has operated since 2023.

When Will Kurultai Elections Be Held

The first Kurultai elections are scheduled for August 23, 2026. On July 1, 2026, after the Constitution entered into force, the President signed the decree calling the elections. The Kurultai is a unicameral body of 145 deputies elected by proportional representation.

What constitutional laws were signed on June 5, 2026?

Four core laws cover the President, the Kurultai, the Constitutional Court, and the Kazakhstan People's Council. They entered into force on July 1, 2026. The Kurultai law sets 145 seats, a 7% threshold, and an aggregate quota of at least 30% for women, young people, and persons with disabilities; citizen access to the Constitutional Court has operated since 2023.
About this page

Updated: 26 July 2026. This page was prepared by the constitution.my editorial team using official publications and open legal sources. Core sources: Gov.kz, Akorda.kz, Adilet.zan.kz, Parlam.kz, and materials of the Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan.

Editorial policy and methodology Editorial policy Methodology Corrections and updates