March 17, 2026
KazISS - Kazakhstan's New Constitutional Model: Towards a Resilient and Modern State
Turan Research Center Research Fellow Andrei Kazantsev-Vaisman contributed to a new analytical report published by the Kazakhstan Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (KazISS), examining Kazakhstan's 2026 constitutional reform within a broader framework of institutional and socio-economic transformation.
The report analyzes the constitutional changes approved in the March 15 national referendum — which passed with 87.15% support and 73.12% voter turnout — across several dimensions: institutional modernization of the political system, including the transition to a unicameral parliament and the creation of the vice-presidency; the expansion of rights and freedoms, including in the digital sphere; the constitutional prioritization of education, science, and innovation; and the reform's implications for Kazakhstan's role as a middle power in Eurasia. The analysis integrates comparative perspectives on international constitutional referendums and empirical data from sociological surveys conducted between January and March 2026.
Kazantsev-Vaisman was among the international and Kazakhstani experts who contributed professional expertise and comparative perspectives to the report, alongside Alberto Turkstra of the Diplomatic World, Wesley Alexander Hill of the International Tax and Investment Center, David Aptsiauri, and Karlygash Jamankulova of the Adil Soz Foundation.
Read the full report here.
Dr. Andrei Kazantsev-Vaisman is a Research Fellow at the Turan Research Center.