On August 30, Kazakhstan is celebrating Constitution Day, which holds special significance this year. It is the first time Kazakhstans commemorate this day after a nationwide referendum in June of last year that ratified amendments to the country's Constitution.
The revised Constitution has laid down the legal foundation for comprehensive societal and governmental modernization, which encompasses political transformation, increased social responsibilities for the state, and the protection of human rights.
These constitutional amendments have brought significant changes to various aspects of Kazakhstan's society, such as President Tokayev's reforms, which focus on reducing presidential powers and expanding the influence of parliament and citizens in the country's decision-making processes.
Local government officials in village districts are now directly elected by the people. Additionally, the threshold for political parties to enter the lower house of Parliament has been lowered from seven to five percent.
The reforms also enable candidates to run in single-member districts and grant citizens the power to recall parliamentarians who have lost public support. These changes are unprecedented for Kazakhstan.
As part of commitment to protecting the right to life, the country has abolished the death penalty at the constitutional level.
Moreover, progress has been made in promoting gender equality by repealing a law that restricted women from certain job roles and increasing parliamentary quotas for women.
In addition, procedures to register political parties have been simplified, facilitating greater participation of diverse voices in the democratic process.
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