In a referendum in Kazakhstan, a large majority apparently voted in favor of the constitutional reform sought by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

According to post-election polls published on Sunday evening, more than 74 percent voted for the amendments to the constitution, as the government of the Central Asian country announced on the Telegram messenger service.

The reform aims to weaken the still powerful position of former head of state Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The last polling stations closed at 5 p.m. (CEST).

An hour before the last polling stations closed, the electoral commission said the turnout was almost 68 percent.

The referendum took place under the impression of the bloody mass protests in January.

Tokayev had advertised the constitutional changes he was striving for as a way of strengthening parliament.

However, observers underlined that the reform would particularly weaken the position of his predecessor, Nazarbayev.

No visible "No" campaign

The passage of the new constitution was considered almost certain, there was no visible "No" campaign.

Even Nazarbayev, who has rarely appeared in public since January, said in an interview published a few days ago that he supports Tokayev and the constitutional amendments.

Nazarbayev had appointed Tokayev as his successor when he resigned in 2019 after almost three decades in office.

However, the now 81-year-old retained the constitutional title of “Elbasy” (“Leader of the Nation”), which gives him great influence on political decisions.

Nazarbayev is to lose this title as a result of the constitutional reform.

Another change is intended to prevent relatives of the President from holding government posts - which is obviously aimed at Nazarbayev's family.

However, various relatives and confidants of the ex-president had already lost their offices since the January riots, allowing Tokayev to strengthen his position.

Protests after gas price increases

The protests in January were sparked by an increase in gas prices.

They began peacefully, but then turned into bloody riots, which the security forces violently stopped with the help of Russian troops.

More than 230 people were killed.

Tokayev blamed "bandits" and "terrorists" with foreign ties for the clashes.

The background remained largely unclear.

Alnur Ilyashev, a longtime government critic, told AFP the constitutional vote was an attempt to "legitimize" Tokayev after the January violence and "formalize" his predecessor's departure.

The constitutional amendments were drafted "without the participation of protest-oriented civil society or leading human rights activists".