Kazakhstan' President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attends a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart (not seen in this picture) following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow, on Feb 10, 2022. (MIKHAIL KLIMENTYEV / SPUTNIK / AFP)

ALMATY - Kazakhstan votes on a constitutional reform on Sunday promoted by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev as a step towards liberalizing the tightly-run oil-rich nation. 

The reform is likely to give the 69-year-old Tokayev the political capital he needs to run for a second term in the Central Asian country closely allied with Russia, this time without the backing of his predecessor Nursultan Nazarbayev.

President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has described the proposed changes as a move from a "superpresidential" system to a presidential republic with a strong parliament

In power since 2019 following Nazarbayev's abrupt resignation after three decades in power, Tokayev  subverted an attempted coup in January and removed Nazarbayev and his relatives from key positions in the government.

Aside from moves to decentralize decision-making and allow greater representation of various groups in parliament, the reform will also strip Nazarbayev of his "national leader" status which granted him lifetime privileges.

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Tokayev has described the proposed changes as a move from a "superpresidential" system to a presidential republic with a strong parliament. Although critics say the reform is cosmetic, it does mark a reversal from a decades-long trend towards strengthening presidential powers.

"We are... laying the foundation for the Second Republic," Tokayev said, addressing the nation on the eve of the vote.

Tokayev has also called for higher taxes on the lucrative extractive industries and high-income individuals, saying social justice would be the cornerstone of a new social contract.

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