The Week in Kazakhstan: Written in the Stars

A New Constitution

Kazakhstan adopted a new Constitution via referendum on March 15. Soon after the polls closed, the Central Elections Commission said that around 73% of eligible voters participated in the vote, marking Kazakhstan’s largest turnout since the 2019 presidential elections. Prior to the results officially being announced, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that March 15 would become a holiday in honor of the new Constitution. The next day, the CEC said that 87% of voters had approved the next text.

Ahead of the vote, journalists reported attacks against their social media accounts, while one prominent anti-corruption activist was detained for expressing criticism. Observers and journalists also reported pressure from the authorities and widespread violations during the vote.

According to sociologist Serik Beissembayev, the new Constitution will effectively strengthen the powers of the president. Abroad, the vote was deemed “a move away from Western-led liberal economic models” but also an “effort to move beyond a system largely inherited from the Soviet past.” Human rights advocates said the new Constitution “reflects the erosion of human rights standards and rule of law.”

Politics

On March 15, Tokayev announced that Kazakhstan will hold parliamentary elections over the summer to elect deputies for the Kurultai (the new Parliament) while confirming that the next presidential election is still only scheduled for 2029, when his mandate expires.

In accordance with the new Constitution’s approval, Tokayev also said on March 17 that Kazakhstan will need to pass new laws on the president, the People’s Council, as well as the administrative-territorial structure of the country.

Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev said on March 20 that the government has no plans to lure residents from Middle Eastern countries or establish an “offshore zone” in the city of Alatau. “We are planning to build a city of accelerated development,” Bozumbayev said. He added that the new urban center will be managed through the Alatau City Authority, a new government agency.

On March 19, Tokayev received a letter from US President Donald Trump with an official invitation to join the G20 Summit in Miami, Florida, later this year. Aibek Smadiyarov, Tokayev’s press secretary, said that Trump also welcomed Tokayev’s participation in future meetings of the so-called Board of Peace.

David O’Sullivan. Photo courtesy of the EU Delegation in Astana.

Sanctions

The European Union’s sanctions envoy David O’Sullivan traveled to Kazakhstan on March 17 in his fifth visit to the country since 2023. O’Sullivan told the press that the EU has “no imminent plans” to expand sanctions to Kazakhstan. In an interview with Vlast, O’Sullivan commended Kazakhstan for its efforts to prevent sanction circumvention, but stressed that there is still work to be done. [Read more here.]

On March 19, the UK government announced that oil originating from Kazakhstan would explicitly be excluded from its sanction list, granting it a “general license” to allow it to be transported by Transneft, Russia’s pipeline operator, free of any restrictions. Oil from Kazakhstan has been long excluded from Western sanctions. [Read more here.]

Business

Shakhmurat Mutalip, the owner of Integra Construction KZ, confirmed his intention to buy gold miner Altynalmas, Forbes reported on March 19. The businessman owns Central Asia Resources Holding, a company recently registered at the Astana International Financial Center. Mutalip was also rumored to be close to purchasing stakes in other major miners in Kazakhstan, Eurasian Resources Group and Kazzinc.

The National Oil and Gas Exploration and Development Corporation, a Chinese pipeline company, has appealed to local courts to invalidate a fee change which led to its losing revenue from a pipeline it jointly operates with Kazakhstan’s Kaztransoil, Oil and Gas Kazakhstan Telegram channel reported on March 17. In April 2025, Kazakhstan’s ministry of energy ordered a mandatory lowering of tariffs on the Atasu-Alashankou pipeline, which pumps Russian oil through Kazakhstan to China.

On March 19, Air Astana announced that the London-based BAE Systems plans to sell its remaining stake in the company. BAE Systems was a co-founder of the national carrier in 2001. It reduced its holding to 16.95% in 2024 and sold a further 10.1% stake in December 2025.

Deputy minister of transport Talgat Lastayev said on March 18 that preparatory work for the construction of a second airport in Astana is underway. Astana International Airport handled more than 9 million passengers in 2025.

Society

Kazakhstan’s General Prosecutor’s Office said on March 18, that Sanzhar Bokayev, a civic activist, had been detained in Almaty as part of investigative proceedings linked to a criminal case against him. Bokayev is accused of paying people to fell trees in order to fabricate public outrage.

On March 16, the day after the referendum, a court in Almaty overturned its earlier decision to hold anti-corruption activist Orazaly Yerzhanov in custody during his two-month pre-trial detention after his lawyers argued that doing so was unlawful. Yerzhanov, who was first detained on February 23 for calling for a boycott of the referendum, is now under house arrest.

Around 80 workers of the Elorda Eco System, a company that manages Astana’s sewage system, went on strike on March 17, citing low wages and poor working conditions, and demanding an audit of the company. Shortly after the announcement of the strike, eight workers were arrested for 5-10 days.

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