Two exit polls indicated that about 87% of voters supported the constitutional rewrite, while turnout reached 73%, according to earlier data from the electoral commission.

The new constitution restructures parliament and reinstates the post of vice president, which had been abolished in 1996. Under the revised framework, the president would gain the authority to appoint the vice president as well as several other senior officials.

The rapid drafting of the document has prompted debate among political analysts in Kazakhstan about its potential political implications.

Some observers suggest Tokayev may be preparing to appoint a successor as vice president and step down early, while others argue the constitutional change could reset his presidential term limits.

Both the existing and the proposed constitutions restrict presidents to a single seven-year term, a provision introduced by Tokayev in 2022.After casting his vote in the capital, Astana, Tokayev said the next presidential election would take place in 2029 when his current term expires.

“Some experts suggest that competition for power in Kazakhstan is intensifying,” Tokayev said. “However, there are absolutely no grounds for worry that this will have a negative impact on society.”

Opposition to the constitutional overhaul appeared limited, with state-approved pollsters showing broad support for the changes. Since gaining independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Kazakhstan’s authorities have maintained tight control over political activity in the nation of about 20 million people.

In a rare public comment, former president Nursultan Nazarbayev, who ruled the country from 1991 to 2019, said he had voted in favour of the new constitution.

In a statement posted on his website, the 85-year-old said he had entrusted the presidency to Tokayev and continued to support that decision, expressing hope that the new constitution would benefit the country and its people.

Once Tokayev’s political patron, Nazarbayev was stripped of his remaining official roles after unrest in January 2022 in which hundreds were killed.

Tokayev has described the violence as a coup attempt involving elements of the security services loyal to the former leader, and several longtime Nazarbayev allies have since been imprisoned.

Rodriguez described the meetings with Colombian ministers as productive and said closer cooperation between the two countries could generate economic benefits while strengthening coordination along their shared border.

The talks marked the first high-level face-to-face engagement between the governments since Maduro’s ouster in early January and came amid a shift in Venezuela’s political landscape and renewed diplomatic contact with the United States.

Rodriguez said discussions centered on energy collaboration, cross-border trade and regional security.Venezuela is planning to repair a pipeline to resume gas exports to Colombia, part of broader efforts by the acting government to revive economic activity and attract foreign investment.

Rodriguez, who previously served as vice president, has been courting investors in Venezuela’s oil and mining sectors as her administration seeks to stabilize the country following Maduro’s capture by U.S. forces.She also used the meeting to call for the lifting of U.S. sanctions, addressing remarks to U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Unilateral coercive measures against the Venezuelan people affect the peoples of our Latin America,” Rodriguez said, urging Washington to end sanctions imposed on Caracas.

Among the visiting Colombian officials was Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez, who met with Venezuelan counterpart Vladimir Padrino to coordinate security strategies along the countries’ 2,200-kilometer (1,370-mile) border.

Foreign ministers Rosa Villavicencio of Colombia and Yvan Gil of Venezuela also discussed cooperation on diplomatic and economic issues.

Rodriguez said both sides had agreed on the need for closer information sharing to address cross-border crime.

“We have a very active border and we are calling for immediate coordination and permanent exchange of information in order to combat drug trafficking,” she said.

Rodriguez had initially been expected to hold talks with Colombian President Gustavo Petro in what would have been her first presidential-level bilateral meeting since taking office.

Both governments said that engagement was canceled because of “force majeure,” without providing further details.

Washington has repeatedly urged Colombia to strengthen efforts against drug trafficking. Petro has said authorities under his administration have recorded record drug seizures during his tenure.