Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Court says Tokayev can run for another term under the new constitution
Kazakhstan’s Constitutional Court has ruled that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is entitled to seek reelection under the country’s new constitution, according to clarifications the court issued in response to a presidential request for an official interpretation of certain provisions.
The new constitution was adopted in March 2026 and took effect on July 1. Under it, the president serves a seven-year term, and no individual may be elected to the office more than once.
The court clarified, however, that terms served, elections held, and appointments made under the 1995 constitution do not count toward that limit. Any election or appointment after the new constitution took effect will therefore count as the first, the Kazakh news outlet Tengri News reports.
Kazakhstan’s new constitution took just 22 days to draft and was adopted in a nationwide referendum. As previously reported, it introduces sweeping changes to the country’s system of government, including a consolidation of presidential power.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has served as president of Kazakhstan since March 2019. He took over from the country’s first president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had been in power since April 1990.
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