The chair of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan (; ) is the and administrative head of the Constitutional Court, the highest body of constitutional review in the country. The chair oversees the functioning of the Court, directs its internal administration, and represents it in relations with the President, Parliament, judiciary, and international organisations.
Elvira ÃÂzimova has served as the chairwoman of the Constitutional Court since January 2023.
The office of the chair of the Constitutional Court of Kazakhstan was created with the adoption of the Constitutional Law No. 1378-XII "On the Constitutional Court" of 5 June 1992. Under this law, the chair and the judges of the Court were nominated by the President of Kazakhstan and elected by deputies of the Supreme Soviet of Kazakhstan through an open vote for a ten-year term. As the head of the Court, the chair held broad administrative and procedural authority: overseeing case preparation, convening and presiding over sessions, directing the court's internal organization, and issuing annual reports to the President and the Supreme Soviet. The first and only chair of this original Constitutional Court was Murat Baimaqanov. His chairship ended in 1995 when the new Constitution abolished the Constitutional Court and replaced it with the Constitutional Council, a consultative body withlimited standing under the Constitutional Law, since only certain highâÂÂlevel officials and bodies (not ordinary citizens) could apply to it. While the Council retained some constitutional review powers, its role was more constrained than that of a genuine constitutional court, and the judiciallyâÂÂempowered office of a chair of a Constitutional Court was effectively dissolved.
Constitutional amendments adopted in a nationwide referendum held on 6 June 2022 restored the Constitutional Court, effective 1 January 2023, reintroducing direct constitutional justice and expanding citizens' rights to constitutional appeal. The reform also reinstated the office of chair, with the first of the revived Court being Elvira ÃÂzimova, appointed in December 2022 and beginning her duties when the Court commenced work in 2023.
The position is established by Article 71 of the Constitution of Kazakhstan, which defines the composition and appointment of the Constitutional Court and its chair.
Under constitutional amendments adopted in 2022, the office of chairship was re-established effective 1 January 2023, replacing the earlier Constitutional Council that had functioned since 1995.
The chair is appointed by the President of Kazakhstan with the consent of the Senate. Candidates must meet the general requirements for Constitutional Court judges to which any citizen of Kazakhstan who is at least forty years old, holds a higher legal education, possesses high professional qualifications, an impeccable reputation, and has not less than fifteen years of legal experience may be appointed to the Constitutional Court.
The chair's term of office is eight years, identical to all judges of the Court. A person may not be appointed for more than one term.
Upon appointment, the chair takes the judicial oath at the official session following confirmation by the Senate prescribed for all judges of the Constitutional Court:<blockquote>"I solemnly swear to fulfill in good faith and conscientiously the high duties assigned to me as a judge of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to be impartial and in my activities to subordinate only to the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to ensure its supremacy."</blockquote>
The chair exercises both judicial and administrative authority as stipulated in Article 27, Section 1 of the Constitutional Law "On the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan":
The chair may be removed from office only on the same legal grounds that apply to other judges of the Constitutional Court. These grounds include:
Termination of the chair's powers is effected by the President of Kazakhstan, in accordance with the procedures laid down in the Constitutional Law.
In cases of temporary absence of the chair of the Constitutional Court, their duties are performed by the deputy chair. If both the chair and the deputy chair are temporarily unable to perform their functions, the chair may designate one of the judges of the Constitutional Court to act in their place.
The deputy chair coordinates the organization of Court sessions, oversees the preparation and maintenance of minutes, and carries out other tasks assigned by the chair in accordance with the Constitutional Law.