In Kazakhstan, the process of amending the text of the constitution and drafting it in a new edition is underway.
The process was initiated by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Medianews.az reports that the new constitution draft envisages only one language - Kazakh - as the state language, while the official use of the Russian language alongside it is permitted.
Currently, according to Article 9 of the Constitution of Kazakhstan, Kazakh and Russian languages are considered state languages equally ("тең" – meaning equal, the same).
In the new draft, the word "тең" is replaced by the word "қатар" ("alongside").
The draft constitution also envisages a transition to a unicameral parliamentary system.