The constitutional reform in Kazakhstan was approved by 77% of the votes during a referendum organized on Sunday June 5 in the Central Asian country. The result marks the end of the era of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his clan, in power for 30 years.
Kazakhstan approved, on Sunday, June 5, an amendment to its Constitution. The reform was approved by 77% of the votes in a referendum that marks the end of the era of former President Nursultan Nazarbayev and his clan, who have controlled the country for the last three decades.
“The referendum can be considered validated,” declared the president of the Central Electoral Commission, Nourlan Abdirov, announcing the results and specifying that the participation rate exceeded 68%.
Kazakhstan, a country rich in minerals and hydrocarbons, was shaken last January by violence that left more than 230 dead.
These riots, the deadliest since the country’s independence in 1991, were preceded by peaceful protests against rising fuel prices and then sparked clashes between law enforcement and civilians.
#UPDATE Kazakhs supported constitutional changes by referendum with 77% in favour, electoral authorities say, after deadly unrest ended founding leader Nursultan Nazarbayev’s three-decade grip on Central Asia’s richest country pic.twitter.com/oO2bkUNhXN
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) June 6, 2022
Before the riots, the current Kazakh president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, 69, was widely seen as the henchman of Nursultan Nazarbayev, 81, who resigned in 2019 but continued to play an important role behind the scenes.
However, the violence that broke out in January marked a turning point. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appears to have taken advantage of the crisis to curb the influence of his predecessor and expel some of his relatives from the government.
Nursultan Nazarbayev will no longer be “head of the nation”
The constitutional changes, submitted to popular consultation, provide for the modification of about a third of the articles of the Basic Law of Kazakhstan and, in particular, the withdrawal of the title of “elbasy” or “head of the nation” from Nursultan Nazarbayev . A status that has so far given him considerable authority.
An amendment states that family members of the leaders cannot hold important government positions, a move that directly targets the Nazarbayev family.
According to Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the revision of the Magna Carta aims to eliminate the current “super-presidential” regime, marked for a long time by Nursultan Nazarbayev’s cult of personality.
No “no” campaign is known to have been carried out in this state known for suppressing any critical voice.
In Almaty, the nation’s largest city, small queues formed in front of polling stations, the AFP agency reported.
Ayan, an 18-year-old student who voted for the first time in his life, said he was pleased Nursultan Nazarbayev’s privileged status was removed. The former president “has a place in our history books, but all citizens must be equal before the Constitution,” he stressed.
However, in the capital Nursultan, Bolat, a 46-year-old businessman, explained that he would not vote because the referendum “is a formality aimed at consolidating the position of current power.”
The January protests, a turning point
The precise causes of last January’s riots remain a mystery. They had devastated the center of Almaty, but spared Noursultan, the former Astana, renamed in 2018 after Noursultan Nazarbayev.
President Tokayev had accused suspected “terrorists” of wanting to seize power.
However, the arrest on January 8 of Karim Massimov, then head of the National Security Council and a close associate of Nursultan Nazarbayev, fueled speculation of a power struggle.
Following the crisis, the current president also publicly criticized Nursultan Nazarbayev, accusing him of having protected the “rich”. A nephew of the former head of state, Kaïrat Satybaldy, was arrested in March, accused of embezzlement.
The president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, also praised the work carried out by Noursultan Nazarbaïev, a former Communist Party official who worked for the development of the immense country covered with plateaus, relying on windfall profits from hydrocarbons.
Nursultan Nazarbayev and Kassym-Jomart Tokayev advocate close ties with neighboring Russia, while maintaining partnerships with Western countries and China.
At the time of the riots, Jomart Tokayev had asked Moscow for help, which sent troops, as part of the military alliance that unites the two countries. The Kremlin assures that this intervention did not have a political counterpart.
Since January, Nursultan Nazarbayev has barely made any public appearances. But he gave an interview in the last few days in which he asked to vote in favor of the constitutional review.
with AFP
*Article adapted from its original in French
#Kazakhstan #approves #referendum #era #President #Nazarbayev