Kazakhstan's top court says president can seek another term

Kazakhstan's Constitutional Court has declared that President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is eligible to run for another term, following the implementation of a new constitution last week. This decision effectively nullifies previous term limits that would have restricted Tokayev, who succeeded Nursultan Nazarbayev in 2019.

The court's ruling means that terms served under the old constitution will not count towards the new limit of a single, seven-year term. The exact timing of Tokayev's potential new term, whether through snap elections or completing his current term until 2029, remains unclear.

Tokayev himself requested the court's opinion on the matter. The new constitution, drafted and approved rapidly this year, also introduces a vice-presidency and streamlines parliament into a single-chamber body. Snap parliamentary elections are scheduled for August 23.

Tokayev, a former Soviet diplomat and UN official, has been president since 2019. He distanced himself from his predecessor Nazarbayev following nationwide unrest in January 2022, which Tokayev characterized as a coup attempt by loyalists of the former president.