In an interview with Egemen Qazaqstan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized that the 2022 Constitutional reform was not carried out to make arbitrary changes to the Basic Law, and the introduced singular presidential term will remain invariable, QazMonitor reports.
Dikhan Kamzabekuly, Director General of Egemen Qazaqstan, asked the Head of State whether there are plans to hold a referendum on the Constitution in 2026, which would allow him to run for president [for a second term — QM] in the elections.
I am convinced that arbitrary amendments to the Constitution are no longer possible, especially on such a fundamental issue. Constitutional reform was not made to implement arbitrary changes to the Basic Law. The provision on a one-term presidency in the Constitution is invariable. This norm is as inviolable as the norms on independence, unitarity, territorial integrity, and the form of government of our state.
Tokayev noted that he once expressed the idea of a single seven-year term in closed discussions fifteen years ago, but at the time the proposal was not supported. In addition, he emphasized that the constitutional reform of 2022 introduced several changes aimed at eliminating super-presidential powers.
