ENU discussed key provisions of the draft New Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan

An expert discussion of the main provisions of the draft New Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan took place at The L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University.

During the event, experts reviewed the key areas of constitutional changes, their institutional content and possible impact on the country's political and social system. Special attention is paid to the issues of updating constitutional norms in the context of modern challenges.

The discussion was attended by leading scientists, representatives of the academic community, experts in the field of public administration, as well as teachers and doctoral students of ENU.

Reports were made by Deputy of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alisher Satvaldiyev, General Director of “Kazak Gazetteri” LLP Dikhan Kamzabekuly, Professor of ENU’s Constitutional and Civil Law Department Yermek Abdrasilov, Director of the Institute of Public Policy, member of the Constitutional Reform Commission Madina Nurgaliyeva, as well as Chairman of the Management Board of the NJSC "Kazakhstan Institute of Social Development", member of the Commission on Constitutional Reform Zhuldyzai Iskakova. The meeting was moderated by ENU Rector Yerlan Sydykov.

During the discussion, experts noted that the proposed changes are aimed at strengthening the principles of constitutionalism, increasing the balance of the branches of government and strengthening the role of citizens in government.

The importance of legal mechanisms for the protection of human rights and freedoms in the updated draft Constitution was emphasized separately.

Deputy of the Senate of the Parliament of RK Alisher Satvaldiyev noted that this document, which is being actively discussed throughout the country, appears as an important initiative that affects both the institutional structure of the state and the legal foundations of public relations, defining a new stage in the constitutional development of Kazakhstan.

"This process should be considered as a logical continuation and outcome of the political reforms initiated by President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The constitutional modernization that began after the 2022 referendum will continue in 2026 in the form of large-scale proposals aimed at adopting a new Constitution," the speaker stressed.

 As noted by Dikhan Kamzabekuly, General Director of “Kazakh Gazetter” LLP, if 84% of changes are made to the Basic Law, this should be perceived as a necessity dictated by the development of the country, adding that the update is measured not by the number of changes, but by their conceptual content.

"The draft Constitution contains provisions on strengthening statehood, preserving the continuity of a thousand-year history, issues of borders and territorial integrity of the country. The guidelines of justice were defined, the value of culture, education and science was specified. The issues of caring for nature and many other important ideas necessary for the development of our state were also touched upon," the scientist noted.

Yermek Abdrasilov, Professor of ENU’S Constitutional and Civil Law the Department, highlighted the important role of the preamble to the draft Constitution:

"Although the preamble is not voluminous, it can well be called the philosophy of the Constitution. It reflects its main idea and semantic core. The preamble outlines a wide range of issues facing the country. First of all, it sets out the goal of protecting human rights. Secondly, it emphasizes the need to preserve the traditions of the ancestral statehood of the Kazakh people on Kazakh soil, which should also be regarded as a significant achievement," the expert noted.

Members of the Constitutional Reform Commission – Madina Nurgaliyeva, Director of the Institute of Public Policy, and Zhuldyzai Iskakova, Chairman of the Management Board of the Kazakhstan Institute of Public Development, told how the working process of the commission itself is structured.

During the discussion, special attention was paid to the issues of family and marriage, which caused a lively discussion among the participants of the event.

At the end of the meeting, the relevance and importance of involving the expert community in the discussion of key socio-political reforms was confirmed. In addition, the members of the Constitutional Reform Commission were given recommendations based on the results of the discussion.

A Q&A session was also held during the event.