Kazakhstan Draft Constitution Proposes Removing “Equal” Status of Russian Language
ASTANA — Kazakhstan has unveiled plans to amend the constitutional status of the Russian language, a move that would legally downgrade its standing relative to the state language, Kazakh. According to the draft of the new Constitution published earlier this week, the government proposes removing the phrasing that currently guarantees Russian is used “on an equal footing” with Kazakh in official capacities.
Under the current Article 7 of the Constitution of Kazakhstan, the Russian language is officially used in state organizations and local self-government bodies “equally” with the Kazakh language. However, the newly released draft, which places language provisions under Article 9, replaces the word “equal” (Kazakh: тең) with “alongside” (Kazakh: қатар).
Bakyt Nurmukhanov, Deputy Chairman of the Constitutional Court of the Republic, addressed the proposed changes during a meeting of the Constitutional Commission on Monday. He described the amendment as an “editorial and methodological correction” intended to ensure “terminological and semantic uniformity” within the document. Nurmukhanov argued that the previous wording had frequently sparked debate by implying that Russian functioned as a “second state language,” a status the government insists belongs solely to Kazakh.
“The phrase ‘alongside the Kazakh language’ in the new edition indicates a different line of logic,” Nurmukhanov explained. “The Kazakh language is the only state language, and the Russian language is used with it, but is not equal in status.”
Legal analysts indicate that while the change may appear subtle linguistically, it carries significant legal weight. By removing the guarantee of equality, the amendment suggests that while Russian will remain a designated language of interethnic communication and retain official utility, its mandatory usage in government administration could be subject to greater discretion by legislators.
The proposal comes amidst a broader, long-term effort by Astana to promote the Kazakh language and strengthen national identity. In recent years, the government has accelerated initiatives to expand Kazakh language content in media and has continued its transition of the Kazakh alphabet from Cyrillic to a Latin-based script—a move widely interpreted as a cultural pivot away from Soviet-era legacies.
Reaction to the draft has been mixed. Supporters view the change as a necessary step to consolidate the sovereignty of the state language, which has been gaining fluency among the younger generation. Critics, however, express concern that the removal of “equal status” could complicate interactions for the country’s ethnic Russian minority and Russian-speaking citizens, who still comprise a significant portion of the population.
The draft Constitution was announced on January 31 and is currently undergoing a period of public discussion. The proposed amendments, including the language status change, must be approved by a national referendum before they can be enacted. As of Wednesday, no official date for the referendum has been set.
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