On March 16, 1991, Kazakhstan held a referendum in an effort to maintain unity inside the Soviet Union. The results of the poll showed that 95% of the country's citizens supported the establishment of a new Union of Sovereign States.
The Constitutional Independence Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan was enacted on December 16, 1991, following the unsuccessful coup d'état in August under the leadership of the Supreme Soviet of Kazakhstan.
Despite the rapid disintegration of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan was the last country to submit its declaration of independence. The Alma-Ata Protocol, which would eventually result in the formation of the Commonwealth of Independent States, came after the proclamation.
