Kazakhstan’s constitutional referendum: 23 oversees polling stations opened so far
The Kazakh Foreign Ministry stated 23 referendum polling stations have already opened at the country’s diplomatic missions oversees, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
Speaking at a briefing at the Central Referendum Commission on Sunday, Deputy Foreign Minister Arman Issetov said that 14,230 Kazakhstani citizens abroad are eligible to participate in the referendum.
Kazakhstani voters in Japan and South Korea were the first to cast their votes, as polling stations at diplomatic missions in Tokyo and Seoul opened at 3:00 am Astana time (07:00 local time).
By 08:00, a total of 23 polling stations had opened, with 198 people having voted so far, said Issetov.
He added the polling station in San Francisco, the U.S., will open today at 7:00 pm Astana time and close at 8:00 am on March 16.
Data on the number of voters is updated every two hours in the morning and every hour in the afternoon, said Issetov.
To note, on March 15, a nationwide referendum on the draft of a new Constitution began in Kazakhstan. The first polling stations in the referendum on amendments to the Constitution of Kazakhstan were opened in Seoul and Tokyo, as well as in Beijing, Shanghai, Xi’an, and Hong Kong.
Earlier, on February 11, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev signed a decree calling for the national referendum to be held on March 15.
The starting point for the constitutional reform was Tokayev’s initiative to create a unicameral parliament in Kazakhstan. The president first presented the proposal on September 8, 2025, during his annual address to the nation.
