Central Election Commission meeting on absentee ballots and pre-election debates

On December 15, 2020, a meeting of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan was held and attended by representatives of political parties, Ministry of Information and Social Development, Khabar Agency, OSCE/ODIHR Mission, territorial election commissions in the videoconferencing mode and media representatives online.

Two issues were considered at the meeting:

1. On absentee ballots for right to vote at regular elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament and Maslikhats of the Republic of Kazakhstan, scheduled for January 10, 2021;

2. On organization and conduct of pre-election television debates at regular elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, scheduled for January 10, 2021.

Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan Konstantin Petrov made a report on the first issue of the agenda.

He stated that if a voter changes his/her place of residence in the period from December 26 this year to 18 hours on January 9, 2021, he/she has the right to receive an absentee certificate for the right to vote in accordance with the electoral legislation. An absentee certificate is issued by the relevant Election Commission on the basis of application and provision of identity card.

Precinct election commission shall include a voter in the voter list at the polling station at his place of stay upon presentation of an absentee certificate for right to vote on election day. A voter's application for an absentee certificate shall be attached to the voter list and shall be the basis for excluding it from the voter list for the respective polling station. Lost absentee ballots cannot be restored and duplicates are not issued.

A voter is not included in the list of voters if an absentee certificate is issued at another polling station within the same locality. If an absentee certificate is issued by the precinct election commission of another electoral district voter does not receive ballots for voting in elections of deputies of regional, city, or district maslikhat.

A voter may receive a different number of absentee ballots and accordingly at the place of his/her stay, he/she will receive a number of ballots equal to the number of absentee ballots valid within the electoral districts of the given locality.

Thus, if a voter changes his/her place of stay within one district of region voter will be able to take part in elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament, regional maslikhat and regional maslikhat and accordingly he/she will receive three absentee ballots in exchange for three absentee ballots in the place of stay.

In case if voter changes his/her place of stay within one region (but in another region, city), he/she will take part in elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament and regional maslikhat and he/she will receive two absentee ballots in exchange for two absentee ballots respectively at place of his/her stay. Outside the region, voter will take part in elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament and will receive one ballot paper instead of one absentee certificate at the place of stay.

During several elections which are held simultaneously Central Election Commission shall establish different color of absentee ballots for each type of elections; each absentee ballots indicate the name of the election campaign in order to improve accounting of issued absentee ballots.

Summing up the results of consideration of the first issue, Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan Berik Imashev called on voters to show legal activity and take legally significant actions to exercise their active suffrage.

Anastassiya Schegortsova, member of the Central Election Commission, made a report on the second issue of the meeting.

She reported that political parties that have nominated party lists of candidates for deputies of the Mazhilis are entitled to participate in pre-election debates on television, organized by the Central Election Commission in accordance with the electoral legislation. Rules and conditions for holding pre-election debates were approved by the resolution of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated August 28, 2018. According to clause 4 of Rules and conditions for holding pre-election debates Central Election Commission, shall determine TV channels and notify them in writing of date, time and place of the debates of the political parties that nominated party lists within five calendar days from the date of the decision to hold debates.

On December 10 this year, the Central Election Commission adopted a resolution stating that debates will be held on December 30, 2020.

In response to a written request from the Central Election Commission on determination of TV channel Ministry of Information and Social Development proposed to conduct a television pre-election debate on air of Khabar TV channel. Khabar TV channel has developed a regulation for conducting pre-election debates of political parties and sent it to the CEC for approval. The draft Regulation provides for procedure for holding debates. In particular, general requirements for participants, order of performance, language of the event and duration. The draft Regulation complies with the requirements of the Constitutional Act "On Elections", as well as Rules and Conditions for holding pre-election debates.

In this regard, Central Election Commission adopted a resolution on holding televised debates on the basis of Khabar Agency agreed on Regulations for conducting debates and also approved the following list of participants in televised debates, whose candidacies were determined by political parties:

1) from Political Party "ADAL" - party secretary, member of the political council Eldar ZHUMAGAZIYEV;

2) from Democratic Party of Kazakhstan "Ak Zhol" - chairman of the party Azat PERUASHEV;

3) from People's Democratic Patriotic Party "Auyl" - chairman of the party Ali BEKTAYEV;

4) from People's Party of Kazakhstan - chairman of the party Aikyn KONUROV;

5) from Nur Otan Party - First Deputy Chairman of the Party Bauyrzhan BAIBEK.

After the meeting, a briefing for the media took place, at which members of CEC answered questions from the media.

Press service

Central Election Commission

of the Republic of Kazakhstan

tel. 75-21-03, 75-23-69

a.khusainova@election.gov.kz

v.zheksembekova@election.gov.kz

https://t.me/electionelection