Tokayev says when the next presidential election will be held

Tengrinews.kz — The President of Kazakhstan answered a question about why the position of vice president is needed. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev also commented on the suggestion that the constitutional reform is preparation for a transfer of power and future presidential elections.

“I am aware that there is a lot of discussion surrounding the position of vice president. Indeed, such a post exists in a number of foreign countries. Some experts believe that competition within the government is allegedly increasing in Kazakhstan and that various worrying trends are emerging. However, there is absolutely no reason to fear that this will negatively affect society. The establishment of the post of vice president will strengthen the institutions of state power, and this will become clear in the future. As President, I place great hopes on this position, as well as on all the reforms as a whole. And the next presidential election will be held, as it should be, within the timeframe established by the current Constitution — in 2029,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.

Earlier, on March 15, Kazakhstan held a referendum on the new Constitution. Polling stations across the country operated from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Voting rights were granted to Kazakhstan citizens over the age of 18 who were included in the voter lists. A total of 12,461,796 people were included in the lists.
On the day of the referendum, 10,388 polling stations were open across the country. Another 71 polling stations were opened at Kazakhstan’s diplomatic missions in 54 countries around the world. At 92 polling stations, mainly in military units, commissions began work earlier — at 6:00 a.m.
By 10:00 a.m., 2,393,844 Kazakhstanis had received ballots, which amounted to 19.21 percent of citizens eligible to vote.
By 12:00 p.m., that number had risen to 4,677,595 voters, or 37.54 percent of the citizens included in the lists.
By 2:00 p.m., the referendum was declared valid. 6,471,378 people had taken part in the vote. Turnout at that point was 51.93 percent.
Reference: The law recognizes a referendum as valid if more than half of eligible voters take part in it.By 4:00 p.m., 8,029,286 Kazakhstanis had voted, and by 6:00 p.m., more than 70 percent of voters — 8,845,280 people — had cast their ballots.
By 8:00 p.m., 9,126,850 people had taken part in the referendum. The Central Referendum Commission recorded preliminary turnout at 73.24 percent.
The results will be announced by March 21, 2026.