Reuters: Kazakhstan approves new constitution in referendum, exit polls say

ALMATY/ASTANA, March 16 (Reuters) - Kazakh voters in a referendum on Sunday approved a new constitution that may provide President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev with a loophole allowing him to stay in power in the Central Asian energy and minerals giant beyond 2029, exit polls showed.

Two exit polls said around 87% of voters had backed the new constitution. Turnout stood at 73%, the electoral commission earlier said.

The new constitution streamlines the country's parliament, and recreates the office of vice president, which was abolished in 1996. It gives the president the right to appoint the vice president, as well as a host of other key officials.

The constitution's swift drafting had prompted some analysts in Kazakhstan to suggest that Tokayev may be looking to anoint a successor as vice president and leave office early.

Both the old and new constitutions limit presidents to one, seven-year term, a limit introduced by Tokayev himself in 2022.

After voting in the capital, Astana, Tokayev, asked by a reporter about whether the constitution would allow him to seek another term, said: "Some experts suggest that competition for power in Kazakhstan is reportedly intensifying, and that the constitutional reform is aimed at someone. I would like to say that the constitutional reform is aimed at the future of our country."

Opposition to the constitutional rewrite had been marginal, with state-approved pollsters showing little dissent.

In a rare public statement, Nursultan Nazarbayev, Kazakhstan's president from 1991 to 2019, said he supported the reforms. In a message published on his website, Nazarbayev, 85, said: "Some time ago, I made the choice to step back from power. Today, I believe that the path of reform chosen by our current leadership is the right one for our country's future."

Once Tokayev's political patron, Nazarbayev was stripped of his remaining official posts and influence following a wave of violent unrest in January 2022 that killed at least 238 people.

Tokayev has said that the unrest represented a coup attempt by elements of the security services loyal to Nazarbayev, though the former president has denied any involvement in the violence.

Reporting by Felix Light, editing by Deepa Babington