Kazakhstan president proposes reversal of democratic reforms: Independent candidacy at risk; senate may be scrapped

Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on Monday proposed reversing major political reforms introduced after the country’s deadly 2022 unrest, including scrapping provisions for independent candidates and abolishing the upper house of parliament. The changes would shift Kazakhstan back to a fully party-list electoral system and a unicameral legislature, reported news agency AFP.

Tokayev said the proposals would undergo a year-long consultation and be put to a national referendum in 2027.

“I have said many times that all issues of vital importance to the state will be decided only with the consent of the people,” he said, though the moves are widely seen as leadership-driven.

The reforms he now seeks to reverse were introduced following violent protests in January 2022 over soaring fuel prices and cost of living. The unrest, which led to at least 238 deaths after Tokayev authorised a “shoot-to-kill” policy, became a turning point in his presidency.

Tokayev used the crisis to sideline his powerful predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev and announced democratic reforms, including allowing independents to contest nearly a third of seats in the lower house.

If rolled back, the changes are likely to strengthen the ruling Amanat party , which already dominates parliament. Tokayev, a former Soviet diplomat, won presidential elections in 2019 and 2022 without facing real opposition. In 2023, his allies swept the legislative polls.

Kazakhstan has amended its constitution six times since independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, but critics say its political system remains tightly controlled.