The MPs adopted the amendments to the Constitution at a joint session of the Parliament chambers held in Kazakh capital. The draft included a provision for a single seven-year presidential term. This will reduce the risks of monopolization of power and strengthen political stability in the country, members of the Parliament assure. Another amendment provides for the immutability of the provisions of the country's Basic Law regarding a President’s term in office and restrictions on his re-election. Thus, in the future, this provision will become an integral part of the country's Constitution and it will not be revised. In addition, the draft law envisages renaming of Kazakh capital from Nur-Sultan to Astana. Another set of amendments provide for the extension of the terms of office of judges of the Constitutional Court to eight years without the right to reappointment. The document was sent to the Head of State for signature.
“Today, we made a very important decision that will determine the future of our country and shape the state structure in a new way. Kazakhstan is entering a new political era, and we have taken the first step of that long journey. The constitutional reform previously adopted by the nationwide referendum laid the foundation for political modernization, while the decision taken today will mark the end of these reforms and pave the way for the transition of our state to a new political model,” said Chairperson of Mazhilis, the lower house of the Kazakh Parliament, Yerlan Koshanov.
