Kassym-Jomart Tokayev became Kazakhstan’s second president in 2019, succeeding Nursultan Nazarbayev after his 28-year rule. In early 2022, widespread protests triggered calls for reform, and Tokayev responded by proposing a ‘New Kazakhstan’ agenda. A constitutional referendum held in June 2022 approved sweeping changes, with roughly 77% voter approval, that curbed presidential powers, bolstered parliamentary authority, banned relatives from government posts, and stripped Nazarbayev of his ‘Leader of the Nation’ status. That same period saw the capital revert from Nur-Sultan back to its original name, Astana. In November 2022, Tokayev won a snap election, securing 81.31% of the vote amid 69% turnout, earning a single seven-year term under the new constitutional rules. The vote has given him a clear mandate to continue his reform path.