Press release on the meeting of the Working Group on Ensuring the 

Voting Rights of Persons with Disabilities

March 15 this year, a meeting of the Working Group on Ensuring the Electoral Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the CEC of the Republic of Kazakhstan was held under the chairmanship of member of the Central Election Commission Anastassiya Schegortsova.

The meeting was attended by members of the Working Group, territorial election commissions in charge of the electoral rights of persons with disabilities, representatives of local executive bodies, the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights, political parties, as well as observers of the OSCE/ODIHR and CIS Missions.

The meeting of the Working Group considered the issues of ensuring that voters with special needs were informed about the preparations for the elections of members of the Mazhilis of the Parliament and maslikhats of the Republic of Kazakhstan on March 19, 2023, as well as the measures taken to ensure conditions for their voting at polling stations, including the issue of making stencils with Braille.

Anastassiya Schegortsova, a member of the CEC of the Republic of Kazakhstan, opening the meeting, noted that at one of the first meetings of the CEC of the Republic of Kazakhstan after calling elections, in order to qualitatively organise the upcoming early elections of members of the Mazhilis of the Parliament and maslikhats of the Republic of Kazakhstan political parties and other public associations were recommended to provide the possibility of nominating citizens with disabilities as candidates for maslikhat members and conducting election campaigning, taking into account the conditions for persons with disabilities in order to ensure the participation of citizens with disabilities in political and public life.

Information was provided by representatives of all seven political parties of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the measures taken to implement the recommendations of the Central Election Commission.

Thus, Marat Sydykov, a representative of the AMANAT Party Central Office, noted that within the framework of the election campaign, the election headquarters of the AMANAT party paid special attention to persons with disabilities (visually impaired persons) for their opportunity to familiarise themselves with the campaign materials of the party.

Also, in the production of leaflets, a special relief-dot tactile font (Braille) was used, an informative website was developed for posting information about the party’s election programme, adapted to the needs of the visually impaired.

Candidates for maslikhat members of the Republic at the time of nomination from the AMANAT Party were more than approximately 2% or 56 people.

Abay Tabysbayev, a representative of the Al Zhol Democratic Party of Kazakhstan Central Office, informed that the Al Zhol Democratic Party, in order to comply with the requirements of the electoral legislation, nominated 13 candidates from among persons with disabilities to the party lists of regional maslikhats.

To organise meetings with voters, candidates with difficulties in movement are provided with special vehicles and individual assistants.

Kuanysh Seytzhanov, Secretary of the Auyl People’s Democratic Patriotic Party, noted that during the election campaign in the regions campaigning events were held with people of an inclusive society – an event of republican significance An inclusive society deserves attention, a podcast on the topic The role of inclusion in society, meetings with a number of public associations of disabled people, with mothers of many children and their families, where there are children of an inclusive society, with voters with disabilities.

In other regions, the branches of the party planned events to meet and conduct election campaigning by candidates of various maslikhats from the Auyl party and members, activists of the election headquarters.

As part of the campaign, the party nominated 6 candidates – people with disabilities in maslikhats of all levels.

Islam Sunqar, a member of the political council of the People’s Party of Kazakhstan, said that all campaigning activities are carried out taking into account the conditions for persons with disabilities who are direct participants in the party’s events. At the early elections of maslikhat members of the Republic of Kazakhstan, scheduled for March 19, 2023, 5 persons with disabilities were nominated to maslikhats of various levels – in Zhambyl, Pavlodar, Abay, Ulytau regions and Almaty city.

Yermek Rakhimov, Deputy Head of the Republican Campaign Headquarters of the Baykaq Kazakhstan Green Party, said that active campaigning was carried out with the participation of persons with disabilities in Almaty and Zhambyl regions.

Talgat Omarov, head of the Central Office of the National Social Democratic Party, said that the relevant work is being carried out. The NSDP nominated a candidate with disability for maslikhat member of Almaty.

Nurlan Dzhamenkov, a representative of the Respublica Party, informed that a person with a visual impairment was nominated from the party as a candidate for maslikhat members of Almaty, who actively conducts election campaigning in Almaty, implementing the party’s election programme in terms of building an inclusive society – a society in which everyone has equal opportunities.

The possibility of conducting pre-election campaigning, taking into account the conditions for persons with disabilities, is provided by the Respublica Party at a sufficiently high level, which makes it possible to cover a large number of voters.

Previously, in election campaigns in the Republic of Kazakhstan, there was no practice of producing campaign materials for candidates, taking into account the needs of voters with disabilities. Therefore, members of the Working Group noted some improvement in this direction.

Further, during the meeting, a number of local executive bodies reported on the measures taken to ensure special conditions at polling stations for voters with disabilities, to assist election commissions in their work to ensure conditions for voters with disabilities.

Zhanar Bigaliyeva, head of the department for the protection of human rights of the National Centre for Human Rights, informed the meeting participants about the results of checking the accessibility of polling stations for persons with disabilities.

Thus, on the eve of the elections, the Commissioner for Human Rights instructed regional representatives to monitor all polling stations for compliance with the legislation in this area, thereby ensuring access for persons with disabilities to the electoral right.

From the preliminary information of the representatives of the Commissioner, it follows that as of March 14 this year, in general, the polling stations located in medical and social institutions and pre-trial detention centres are ready and brought in line with the recommendations on ensuring the electoral rights of citizens with disabilities.

Representatives of the Commissioner continue to monitor the observance of the rights of persons with disabilities, including their access to the right to vote.

A separate issue was the preparation of a stencil using Braille, which was first made in the 2022 presidential election. And it was positively assessed by both experts and voters with visual impairments.

Thus, within the framework of the current campaign, the CEC of the Republic of Kazakhstan prepared a stencil using Braille for voting on the elections of Mazhilis Members to the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, elected on party lists.

The examination was carried out by two organisations: Kazakh Society of the Blind Public Association, Yerkіndіk Kanaty Public Association.

To date, according to the information of the territorial election commissions, stencils and audio versions have been made for the ballots for the election of Mazhilis Members to the Parliament, elected in single-seat territorial constituencies, as well as for the election of maslikhat members of all levels, after listening to which one can fill out the ballots independently.

On March 3-4, 2023, the CEC of the Republic of Kazakhstan, together with the Shyrak Association of Women with Disabilities Public Association and the OSCE Program Office in Astana, conducted a two-day online training. More than 100 people took part in the training.

The purpose of the online training was to strengthen the capacity of TECs and LEAs in the field of electoral rights and needs of people with disabilities to ensure the participation of citizens with disabilities at all stages of the electoral process.

During the training, the issues of organising the accessibility of the polling station, as well as practical exercises, methodological recommendations for TECs and PECs Relational barriers: ethics and terminology in relation to people with disabilities were considered.

A memo on ensuring the accessibility of polling stations was also prepared. The preparation took into account the expert recommendations of the members of the Working Group – representatives of the Shyrak Association of Women with Disabilities Public Association and Yerkindik Kanaty Public Association.

At the end of the meeting, Anastassiya Schegortsova noted that within the framework of the election campaign, it is necessary to actively participate in ensuring the electoral rights of persons with disabilities of all interested parties: political parties and other public associations, candidates, state bodies, members of election commissions.

March 15 this year, a meeting of the Working Group on Ensuring the Electoral Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the CEC of the Republic of Kazakhstan was held under the chairmanship of member of the Central Election Commission Anastassiya Schegortsova.

The meeting was attended by members of the Working Group, territorial election commissions in charge of the electoral rights of persons with disabilities, representatives of local executive bodies, the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights, political parties, as well as observers of the OSCE/ODIHR and CIS Missions.

The meeting of the Working Group considered the issues of ensuring that voters with special needs were informed about the preparations for the elections of members of the Mazhilis of the Parliament and maslikhats of the Republic of Kazakhstan on March 19, 2023, as well as the measures taken to ensure conditions for their voting at polling stations, including the issue of making stencils with Braille.

Anastassiya Schegortsova, a member of the CEC of the Republic of Kazakhstan, opening the meeting, noted that at one of the first meetings of the CEC of the Republic of Kazakhstan after calling elections, in order to qualitatively organise the upcoming early elections of members of the Mazhilis of the Parliament and maslikhats of the Republic of Kazakhstan political parties and other public associations were recommended to provide the possibility of nominating citizens with disabilities as candidates for maslikhat members and conducting election campaigning, taking into account the conditions for persons with disabilities in order to ensure the participation of citizens with disabilities in political and public life.

Information was provided by representatives of all seven political parties of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the measures taken to implement the recommendations of the Central Election Commission.

Thus, Marat Sydykov, a representative of the AMANAT Party Central Office, noted that within the framework of the election campaign, the election headquarters of the AMANAT party paid special attention to persons with disabilities (visually impaired persons) for their opportunity to familiarise themselves with the campaign materials of the party.

Also, in the production of leaflets, a special relief-dot tactile font (Braille) was used, an informative website was developed for posting information about the party’s election programme, adapted to the needs of the visually impaired.

Candidates for maslikhat members of the Republic at the time of nomination from the AMANAT Party were more than approximately 2% or 56 people.

Abay Tabysbayev, a representative of the Al Zhol Democratic Party of Kazakhstan Central Office, informed that the Al Zhol Democratic Party, in order to comply with the requirements of the electoral legislation, nominated 13 candidates from among persons with disabilities to the party lists of regional maslikhats.

To organise meetings with voters, candidates with difficulties in movement are provided with special vehicles and individual assistants.

Kuanysh Seytzhanov, Secretary of the Auyl People’s Democratic Patriotic Party, noted that during the election campaign in the regions campaigning events were held with people of an inclusive society – an event of republican significance An inclusive society deserves attention, a podcast on the topic The role of inclusion in society, meetings with a number of public associations of disabled people, with mothers of many children and their families, where there are children of an inclusive society, with voters with disabilities.

In other regions, the branches of the party planned events to meet and conduct election campaigning by candidates of various maslikhats from the Auyl party and members, activists of the election headquarters.

As part of the campaign, the party nominated 6 candidates – people with disabilities in maslikhats of all levels.

Islam Sunqar, a member of the political council of the People’s Party of Kazakhstan, said that all campaigning activities are carried out taking into account the conditions for persons with disabilities who are direct participants in the party’s events. At the early elections of maslikhat members of the Republic of Kazakhstan, scheduled for March 19, 2023, 5 persons with disabilities were nominated to maslikhats of various levels – in Zhambyl, Pavlodar, Abay, Ulytau regions and Almaty city.

Yermek Rakhimov, Deputy Head of the Republican Campaign Headquarters of the Baykaq Kazakhstan Green Party, said that active campaigning was carried out with the participation of persons with disabilities in Almaty and Zhambyl regions.

Talgat Omarov, head of the Central Office of the National Social Democratic Party, said that the relevant work is being carried out. The NSDP nominated a candidate with disability for maslikhat member of Almaty.

Nurlan Dzhamenkov, a representative of the Respublica Party, informed that a person with a visual impairment was nominated from the party as a candidate for maslikhat members of Almaty, who actively conducts election campaigning in Almaty, implementing the party’s election programme in terms of building an inclusive society – a society in which everyone has equal opportunities.

The possibility of conducting pre-election campaigning, taking into account the conditions for persons with disabilities, is provided by the Respublica Party at a sufficiently high level, which makes it possible to cover a large number of voters.

Previously, in election campaigns in the Republic of Kazakhstan, there was no practice of producing campaign materials for candidates, taking into account the needs of voters with disabilities. Therefore, members of the Working Group noted some improvement in this direction.

Further, during the meeting, a number of local executive bodies reported on the measures taken to ensure special conditions at polling stations for voters with disabilities, to assist election commissions in their work to ensure conditions for voters with disabilities.

Zhanar Bigaliyeva, head of the department for the protection of human rights of the National Centre for Human Rights, informed the meeting participants about the results of checking the accessibility of polling stations for persons with disabilities.

Thus, on the eve of the elections, the Commissioner for Human Rights instructed regional representatives to monitor all polling stations for compliance with the legislation in this area, thereby ensuring access for persons with disabilities to the electoral right.

From the preliminary information of the representatives of the Commissioner, it follows that as of March 14 this year, in general, the polling stations located in medical and social institutions and pre-trial detention centres are ready and brought in line with the recommendations on ensuring the electoral rights of citizens with disabilities.

Representatives of the Commissioner continue to monitor the observance of the rights of persons with disabilities, including their access to the right to vote.

A separate issue was the preparation of a stencil using Braille, which was first made in the 2022 presidential election. And it was positively assessed by both experts and voters with visual impairments.

Thus, within the framework of the current campaign, the CEC of the Republic of Kazakhstan prepared a stencil using Braille for voting on the elections of Mazhilis Members to the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, elected on party lists.

The examination was carried out by two organisations: Kazakh Society of the Blind Public Association, Yerkіndіk Kanaty Public Association.

To date, according to the information of the territorial election commissions, stencils and audio versions have been made for the ballots for the election of Mazhilis Members to the Parliament, elected in single-seat territorial constituencies, as well as for the election of maslikhat members of all levels, after listening to which one can fill out the ballots independently.

On March 3-4, 2023, the CEC of the Republic of Kazakhstan, together with the Shyrak Association of Women with Disabilities Public Association and the OSCE Program Office in Astana, conducted a two-day online training. More than 100 people took part in the training.

The purpose of the online training was to strengthen the capacity of TECs and LEAs in the field of electoral rights and needs of people with disabilities to ensure the participation of citizens with disabilities at all stages of the electoral process.

During the training, the issues of organising the accessibility of the polling station, as well as practical exercises, methodological recommendations for TECs and PECs Relational barriers: ethics and terminology in relation to people with disabilities were considered.

A memo on ensuring the accessibility of polling stations was also prepared. The preparation took into account the expert recommendations of the members of the Working Group – representatives of the Shyrak Association of Women with Disabilities Public Association and Yerkindik Kanaty Public Association.

At the end of the meeting, Anastassiya Schegortsova noted that within the framework of the election campaign, it is necessary to actively participate in ensuring the electoral rights of persons with disabilities of all interested parties: political parties and other public associations, candidates, state bodies, members of election commissions.