How much will Kazakhstan spend on the referendum? Preliminary amount announced

Tengrinews.kz – Mikhail Bortnik, a member of Kazakhstan's Central Election Commission, announced the preliminary cost of holding a national referendum on the Constitution.

"The preliminary estimate for the referendum expenses is 20.8 billion tenge. I want to emphasize that this amount is not included in the state budget for 2026, so it will be allocated from the government reserve," Bortnik said during a briefing at the Central Election Commission.

Bortnik also added that the final budget will be announced later.
This morning, in the corridors of the Senate, Vice Minister of Finance Daulen Temirbekov told journalists that the exact amount is still unknown and the ministry is awaiting a budget request from the Central Election Commission. According to him, 70-80 percent of the final amount will go towards the salaries of employees working at the local election commissions.
Earlier, the Central Election Commission announced that voting for the referendum will take place on March 15 from 7 am to 8 pm, unless specific territorial commissions set different hours for the convenience of citizens.
On February 11, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree to hold the national referendum on the Constitution.
On March 15, Kazakhstanis will have the chance to vote and decide whether to accept the new Constitution. The draft of the new Constitution was published in the media on February 12.
Read also: New possible date for Constitution Day in Kazakhstan announced