On May 23-24, CRC Chairman Nurlan Abdirov Took a Working Trip to Arys of the Turkestan Region and to Shymkent

Head of the Central Referendum Commission Nurlan Abdirov, paid a two-day visit to Arys city in the Turkestan region and to Shymkent in order to control the preparation of the regions for the referendum. The trip of the CRC leadership to Arys, among other regions stands to reason that the city has experienced great shocks in the past and is in the zone of special attention.

As part of the trip, workshop-meetings were held on May 23 this year in Arys, Turkestan region, as well as on May 24 this year in Shymkent.

The workshops discussed the preparation and conduct of the referendum, the work of akimats and territorial referendum commissions on the material and technical equipment of polling stations. They also explained the draft Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan,” the procedure for accreditation of media representatives on voting day, responsibility for violating the legislation on a referendum.

Members of territorial referendum commissions, representatives of local executive and representative bodies, heads of the department of justice, prosecutor’s office and media representatives took part in the workshop-meetings.

In his welcoming speech to the participants of the workshop-meeting, Nurlan Abdirov emphasised that the initiative of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to hold a referendum was announced at the XXXI session of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan on April 29 this year.

May 5 this year by the Decree of the Head of State, a republican referendum was scheduled for June 5, 2022 on the issue of introducing amendments and additions to the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Thus, the introduction of amendments to the Constitution was proposed precisely through a popular vote, i.e. the will of the people of Kazakhstan.

Particular attention of the participants of the workshop was devoted to the issues of informing citizens. Representatives of akimats reported in detail on the work done in this direction.

For example, a unified call centre has been launched in the Turkestan region to provide information and consultations on the republican referendum. By contacting a unified call centre, it’s possible to check oneself in the list of citizens eligible to take part in the republican referendum, and to clarify the number and address of the polling station as well.

Call-centers were also organised in Shymkent, which answer citizens’ questions on referendum issues 5 days a week. From June 1, 2022, Call Centres will be switched to 7 days a week, 24 hours a day schedule.

The “Search for a referendum polling station” service has been added to the “2 GIS” system (the web version is currently working), which will be available for mobile platforms from June 1.

The “i-shymkent.kz” website runs the service “Check yourself in the list of voters on the website,” “ishym_bot” was launched in the Telegram – with the help of these services, each citizen can determine his/her referendum precinct by typing IIN.

Representatives of the Central Referendum Commission gave comprehensive answers to all questions of interest from the participants of the workshop.

“By the Decree of the President, the Government, together with the CEC, central state and local executive bodies, was instructed to take all measures to organise and conduct a referendum. Therefore, it is important for the organisers of the referendum to make every effort to this work. There are less than two weeks left until the Voting Day. It is necessary to work out all the organisational aspects related to the holding of the referendum,” the CRC Chairman emphasised.

Along with this, inspection visits were held to 15 polling stations in Arys, Temirlan village, Ordabasy district, in the Abai, Al-Farabi, Karatau and Yenbekshi districts of Shymkent, to check their readiness for the voting day and create the necessary conditions for citizens to vote, including for persons with disabilities and special needs.

Members of the precinct commission reported on the organisational and technical support of the voting premises, on the creation of the necessary conditions for voters with disabilities.

In some polling stations, members of precinct commissions heard a number of comments on the location of the tables of commission members and areas for representatives of public associations in the voting premises. Nurlan Abdirov instructed the commissions to ensure the required visual field for representatives of public associations, international observers and the media when organising voting and counting procedures.

He also noted that all information and explanatory materials at the polling stations should be accessible and convenient for familiarisation of all referendum participants, including persons with disabilities. “Not a single citizen of this category should be left without attention,” Nurlan Abdirov emphasised.

After the comments of the leadership of the Central Referendum Commission, all the shortcomings were immediately eliminated.

The CRC Chairman also instructed the precinct commissions “with the assistance of higher-level commissions and authorised bodies to call all citizens with disabilities and offer invataxi services on voting day, ensure the involvement of sign language interpreters and the mandatory availability of stencils for voting for visually impaired and blind citizens.”

As part of the meeting with members of precinct commissions, a training session was held to prepare members of commissions using the “Voting Day” business game. The purpose of the training is to master the voting procedure by the members of the precinct referendum commission, to acquire practical skills in working with the list of citizens eligible to participate in the referendum, absentee ballots, with oral and written appeals of citizens, representatives of public associations.

Following the results of the meetings, Nurlan Abdirov gave a number of specific instructions to members of the territorial and precinct commissions and emphasised that the organisation and holding of a referendum on voting day should be carried out in strict accordance with the requirements of the law.