Upon the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Observer Mission from the Commonwealth of Independent States monitored the preparation and conduct of the republican referendum on the adoption of the new Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, scheduled for March 15, 2026, by Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 1170 of February 11, 2026.
The Mission began monitoring the referendum campaign on February 24, 2026, and carried out its functions freely and independently, observing the legislation of the host country, without interfering in the course of the referendum or the internal affairs of the state.
The Mission comprised 161 accredited observers representing the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia, the Republic of Belarus, the Kyrgyz Republic, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Tajikistan, the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Interparliamentary Assembly of the CIS Member States, the Parliamentary Assembly of the CSTO, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia, the Standing Committee of the Union State, and the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Of these, six individuals worked on a long-term basis. The Mission Headquarters, located in Astana, coordinated the observers’ activities.
The Head of the Mission, CIS First Deputy Secretary-General Igor Petrishenko, discussed the progress of the preparation and conduct of the referendum with the Chairman of the Central Referendum Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nurlan Abdirov; the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Yermukhambet Konuspaev; the heads of missions from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Oleg Kopylov, and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, Kairat Sarybai; and also visited a number of territorial and precinct referendum commissions in Astana and Akmola Region on the eve and on the day of voting.
Long-term CIS observers held meetings in the Central Commission, the Supreme Court, the Prosecutor General’s Office, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and familiarized themselves with the work of territorial and precinct referendum commissions in Akmola and Karaganda Regions, and the cities of Astana and Almaty.
The Mission operated openly and transparently. The Mission Headquarters issued press releases and gave interviews to media representatives.
The Commonwealth observers note that the republic created the necessary conditions for international observation of the referendum.
According to observers from the Commonwealth, the individual violations recorded were not systemic or widespread and did not impact the referendum results.
The Observer Mission of the Commonwealth of Independent States concludes that:
- The referendum on March 15, 2026, was held at a high organizational level, in full compliance with the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan;
- State authorities and referendum commissions ensured citizens the opportunity for free expression of will.
Read the full Statement via the link (in Russian).