THE CENTRAL ELECTION COMMISSION SUMMARIZED

 THE RESULTS OF THE REGISTRATION OF PARTY LISTS

The tenth meeting of the Central Election Commission of the RK, held as part of the election campaign for the election of deputies of the Kurultai of the Republic of Kazakhstan, scheduled for August 23, 2026, took place today in Astana. The meeting was attended by international observers, representatives of political parties, and officials from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Finance, Internal Affairs, Justice, Culture and Information, as well as representatives of the media. In addition, chairspersons and members of the territorial election commissions of the capital, the regions, and the cities of republican significance, along with deputy akims of the regions, participated via videoconference.

In accordance with the agenda, the following items were considered:

1. On the accreditation of observers from foreign states and an international organization for the election of deputies of the Kurultai of the Republic of Kazakhstan, scheduled for August 23, 2026;

2. On the designation of locations for the placement of campaign materials for the election of deputies of the Kurultai of the Republic of Kazakhstan, scheduled for August 23, 2026;

3. On the results of the registration of party lists for the election of deputies of the Kurultai of the Republic of Kazakhstan, scheduled for August 23, 2026;

4. On the procedure for including the names of political parties on the ballot paper for voting in the election of deputies of the Kurultai of the Republic of Kazakhstan, scheduled for August 23, 2026;

5. On the conduct of election campaigning for the election of deputies of the Kurultai of the Republic of Kazakhstan, scheduled for August 23, 2026.

Opening the meeting, Chairman of the Central Election Commission Nurlan Abdirov emphasized that, upon the submission of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Central Election Commission continues the accreditation process for observers from foreign states and international organizations. This process will continue until August 17.

The first agenda item was presented by Mukhtar Yerman, Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission. He noted that, as of today, the Central Election Commission has accredited 86 observers from 12 foreign states and 5 international organizations to observe the election of deputies of the Kurultai of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

“As of July 23, 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has submitted to the Central Election Commission for accreditation the nominations of 10 observers from 5 foreign states and 1 international organization. Specifically, these include 4 nominees from the Republic of Moldova, including the Chairperson of that country's Central Election Commission; 1 nominee from the International Parliamentarians Congress (IPC); 2 nominees from the Republic of Albania; 1 nominee from the State of Kuwait - the country's Ambassador to Kazakhstan; and 1 nominee each from the Republic of Armenia and the State of Palestine,” - Mukhtar Yerman informed.

Deputy akims of the capital, the regions, and the cities of republican significance reported during the meeting on the preparations of locations for the placement of campaign materials across the regions of Kazakhstan. According to the information provided by the akimats, more than 8,000 locations for the placement of campaign materials and approximately 4,500 venues for meetings with voters have been prepared nationwide. The Chairman of the Central Election Commission emphasized the importance of preparing reserve locations for the placement of campaign materials, taking into account the number of voters in the country's major cities and densely populated regions, as well as the specific features of the current election campaign.

“In accordance with the provisions of the Constitutional Law on Elections, local executive bodies, jointly with the relevant territorial election commissions, designate and equip locations for the placement of campaign materials. At the same time, equal rights must be ensured for all political parties. I would also like to draw the attention of local executive bodies and territorial election commissions to the high level of competition and activity demonstrated during the nomination and registration stages of political parties in the current campaign. Therefore, the number of locations designated for the placement of campaign materials and for meetings with voters should not be limited to those already identified. A reasonable reserve should also be provided,” - Nurlan Abdirov said.

The Central Election Commission also summarized the results of the registration stage of party lists of candidates for deputies of the Kurultai during today's meeting. The Chairman of the Central Election Commission noted that, in accordance with the Election Calendar, from July 16 to 21 the Commission considered the registration of the party lists submitted by each of the seven political parties. The results of the registration process and the overall statistics on the party lists were presented in a report by the Commission Secretary, Shavkhat Utemissov.

“As of July 23, 2026, the lists of the seven political parties contesting seats in the country's Kurultai include a total of 545 candidates. The total number of parliamentary mandates is 145. All political parties have complied with the legal requirements regarding the representation of women, youth, and persons with disabilities. Overall, these categories account for 43.9% of all candidates included in the party lists. Of the total, 172 are women and 373 are men. There are 19 persons with disabilities and 74 candidates under the age of 35. The average age of the candidates is 45.4 years,” - the CEC Secretary reported.

Shavkhat Utemissov also reminded participants in the electoral process of the provisions of the electoral legislation under which the Central Election Commission is authorized to revoke the registration of a party list or to exclude an individual included in a party list.

The procedure for determining the order in which the names of political parties will appear on the ballot paper was also established at today's CEC meeting. The drawing of lots was conducted by Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission Mukhtar Yerman. Representatives of the political parties were invited to the table in alphabetical order according to the names of their parties in the state language. Each representative personally drew a sealed envelope containing the number under which his or her party will appear on the ballot paper.

“As a result of the drawing of lots conducted at the meeting of the Central Election Commission, the names of the political parties on the ballot paper for the election of deputies of the Kurultai of the Republic of Kazakhstan, scheduled for August 23, 2026, will appear in the following order: 1. Adilet Party; 2. Nationwide Social Democratic Party; 3. Kazakhstan Green Party ‘Baitaq’; 4. People's Party of Kazakhstan; 5. Auyl Party; 6. Ak Zhol Democratic Party of Kazakhstan; 7. Respublica Party. The results of the drawing of lots are approved by the members of the Central Election Commission through the relevant protocol,” - Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission Mukhtar Yerman noted.

Commission member Lyazzat Suyindik spoke about legislative amendments concerning campaigning during the current election campaign. One of the new provisions is a ban on photographing and filming a completed ballot paper and distributing such materials on Election Day, as well as a ban on the use of campaign materials produced not for the current election campaign.

“Photographing and filming a completed ballot paper and distributing such materials on Election Day is prohibited. This provision excludes the public demonstration of support for political parties and is aimed at ensuring free and secret voting, equal conditions for all participants in the electoral process, and the independent expression of voters’ will. It has also been established that the requirement to place campaign materials on a contractual basis does not apply to political parties and candidates using their own internet resources and accounts on online platforms. In addition, additional requirements for campaign materials have been introduced. Thus, in addition to the previously existing bans on producing such materials outside the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan and distributing anonymous campaign materials, the use of campaign materials produced not for the current election campaign is now prohibited,” - Lyazzat Suyindik emphasized.

The CEC member also emphasized the importance of objective media coverage of the election campaign. She called on the media and other participants in the electoral process to refrain from publishing campaign materials that knowingly discredit the honor, dignity, or business reputation of a candidate or political party, and to provide them with an opportunity to publish a refutation free of charge and in an equal amount of space.

“As part of preparations for the election campaign, the Central Election Commission is consistently conducting explanatory work for all participants in the electoral process. Thus, on July 3, a seminar was organized for representatives of political parties, and on July 22, for media representatives, on issues related to the preparation and conduct of the election of deputies of the Kurultai. In conclusion, I would like to remind you that any election campaigning is prohibited on Election Day and the day preceding it. The publication of the results of public opinion polls, election forecasts, other election-related studies, as well as voting in support of candidates or political parties in the media and on online platforms is not permitted during the five days preceding Election Day and on Election Day itself,” — the CEC member reminded.

First Vice-Minister of Culture and Information Kanat Iskakov also delivered a report on this agenda item. He spoke about the work carried out by the Ministry to ensure that mass media comply with the requirements of electoral legislation, as well as the Ministry’s plans for continuous monitoring of the information environment during the campaign period. In addition, he emphasized the importance of balanced coverage of the activities of political parties during the campaign period and the implementation of information and awareness-raising activities aimed at informing a broad audience about their electoral rights and increasing citizens’ interest in participating in the vote.

Summarizing the results of the meeting, Nurlan Abdirov noted that starting from 18:01 on July 23, candidates for deputies of the Kurultai are entitled to begin their election campaigning.

“The campaign period is one of the most important and interesting stages of the electoral process. Equal conditions are guaranteed for candidates’ access to mass media for conducting election campaigning. Election commissions must carry out all stages of the election campaign strictly in accordance with the legislation and create all necessary conditions to ensure transparent and fair competition. At the same time, I would like to draw the attention of candidates for deputies of the Kurultai, their authorized representatives, campaign headquarters, as well as media representatives, to the need to conduct campaign activities in strict compliance with electoral legislation. In the event of violations of the procedure and rules for conducting election campaigning, the election commission has the right to revoke the decision on the registration of a candidate,” - Nurlan Abdirov concluded.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the members of the Central Election Commission adopted the relevant resolutions. The CEC members also answered questions from journalists during the traditional media briefing.