On January 23, a meeting of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan was held

On January 23 this year, a regular meeting of the Central Election Commission within the elections to the Mazhilis and maslikhats, scheduled for March 19, 2023, was held under the chairmanship of Nurlan Abdirov.

The following issues were considered at the meeting:

1) on the organisation of work with voter lists for the early elections of members of the Mazhilis of the Parliament and maslikhats of the Republic of Kazakhstan, scheduled for March 19, 2023;

2) on the organisation of training for members of election commissions and other participants in the electoral process during the election campaign of members of the Mazhilis of the Parliament and maslikhats of the Republic of Kazakhstan;

3) on measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus infection when nominating candidates for members of the Mazhilis of the Parliament and maslikhats of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the early elections scheduled for March 19, 2023.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Ministers of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry, Healthcare, Director of the Centre for Electoral Education, representatives of political parties and the media.

Territorial election commissions and heads of administrations of akims of regions, Astana, Almaty and Shymkent participated in the videoconferencing mode.

The meeting was broadcast on the website and Youtube with sign language translation.

Opening the meeting, Chairman of the Central Election Commission Nurlan Abdirov noted that the compilation of voter lists and work with them is an important element of the electoral process. After all, citizens are exercising their constitutional right to vote in elections based on these voter lists. Therefore, the Central Election Commission considers compiling a complete list of voters as one of the important areas of its work in preparation for the elections.

This campaign peculiarity is the simultaneous holding of elections of members of representative bodies throughout the republic, as well as within the territorial constituencies. In this regard, the authorised bodies face a special task of ensuring the completeness and reliability of voter lists at the place of registration of citizens and making changes to them in accordance with the procedure established by law within each constituency based on citizens’ applications.

Akims need to take all cardinal measures to ensure the formation of correct and up-to-date lists of voters, taking into account all received applications.

Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission Konstantin Petrov made a report on the first issue – On the organisation of work with voter lists.

He dwelled in detail on the legal regulation of the issue of compiling voter lists and the features of this process, taking into account the simultaneous elections of members of the Mazhilis of the Parliament and maslikhats of all levels.

As of January 1, 2023, 11 million 976 thousand 406 citizens with active suffrage were included in the Register of voters of the Republic.

The basis for including a citizen in the voter list at a particular polling station is:

1) the fact of their registration at the place of residence on the territory of this polling station.

2) a written application of citizens to the local executive body for inclusion in the relevant voter list.

Temporarily registered citizens; citizens without registration, as well as voters who, no later than thirty days before the election, became aware that they would not be able to arrive on election day at the polling station at the place of their registration, have the right to register as a voter in the relevant local executive body from the date of the election appointment.

K. Petrov paid special attention to including certain categories of voters in the voter lists – citizens with temporary registration, students, shift workers, military personnel, citizens without registration.

Students studying in secondary specialised and higher educational institutions, as well as under professional training programmes of postgraduate full-time education, living in dormitories are included in the voter list at the dormitory location.

Local executive bodies, together with the heads of educational institutions of the regions, shall provide students with the opportunity to vote at their place of residence.

Citizens working on a rotational basis can also be included in the voter lists on the basis of written applications.

It is necessary to take preventive measures to provide an opportunity to vote at the place of residence of citizens working on a rotational basis.

Based on written applications they can also be included in the voter lists and vote in a single nationwide constituency to the Mazhilis, as well as in a single-mandate territorial constituency, if registered in this region.

In military units, the voter lists include all servicepersons who are in them, as well as members of their families and other voters residing in the locations of military units. Servicepersons residing outside military units are included in the voter lists at their place of residence on a general basis.

Voter lists of military personnel located in military units, as well as members of their families and other voters residing in the locations of military units, are compiled based on information provided by the commanders of military units.

Written applications of citizens for inclusion in the voter lists at the place of residence shall be submitted to the relevant akimats by February 17 this year, that is, thirty days before voting day.

Local executive bodies ensure the inclusion of a citizen in the voter list of the polling station where they will vote and organise the exclusion of a citizen from the voter list at the place of registration.

15 days before voting day, i.e. no later than March 4, voter lists for polling stations formed at the place of residence of citizens are presented to voters for review.

Citizens are provided with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the voter lists in the premises of the relevant election commissions, to check the correctness of the data entered in them about voters.

Every citizen has the right to check their personal data in the voter lists and appeal against non-inclusion, incorrect inclusion in the list or exclusion from the list, as well as inaccuracies in the voter data in the list. It is possible to check inclusion in the voter lists at the place of registration through the website or the Call Centre of the relevant akimat.

A resolution of the Central Election Commission On the organisation of work with voter lists for the early elections of members of the Mazhilis of the Parliament and maslikhats of the Republic of Kazakhstan, appointed on March 19, 2023, was adopted, which contains instructions to local executive bodies and election commissions of the regions in accordance with the powers provided by the Constitutional Act on Elections.

An appeal from the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan, who have an active suffrage, to include them in the voter lists, was also adopted at the meeting.

Sabila Mustafina, a member of the Central Election Commission, made a report on the second issue – On the organisation of training for members of election commissions and other participants in the electoral process during the campaign for the election of members of the Mazhilis of the Parliament and maslikhats of the Republic of Kazakhstan. She informed that taking into account the professionalisation of the personnel of the electoral system, as well as the current electoral campaign, which is taking place in accordance with the new norms of legislation, the priority direction of the activity of the Central Election Commission is to improve the legal literacy and electoral culture of all categories of participants in the electoral process. In this regard, she presented the relevant plan for electoral education, according to which, first of all, it provides for the training and education of members of election commissions at all levels in various forms in the following areas:

- Online workshop meetings of the Central Election Commission for territorial, district election commissions on topical issues of specific stages and directions of the election campaign on a regular basis via videoconferencing;

- Field training and inspection workshop meetings in the regions, conducted by members and employees of the Commission’s administration. Within these events, election commissions shall organise Voting Day trainings in business game format.

- Distance learning and testing. This form of education is very convenient, given that the electoral system, taking into account the formation of district commissions, covers 86,440 members of election commissions of all levels.

- Workshops for members of election commissions based on regional branches of the Academy of Public Administration at the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

- Field training workshop meetings and trainings by TEC members of regions, capital, cities of republican significance for lower territorial, district and precinct election commissions.

- Workshops for members of 69 precinct election commissions formed at representative offices of the Republic of Kazakhstan abroad, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the territorial election commission of Astana.

The methodological basis of the electoral education system is the cascade method of training of organisers of the electoral process at all levels of the electoral system, introduced by the CEC, which has shown its efficiency at previous campaigns.

At the first stage, the members of the territorial election commissions, exercising their powers on a permanent professional basis, will be comprehensively trained.

At the second stage – members of territorial, district election commissions, chairmen, deputy chairmen and secretaries of precinct election commissions.

At the third – members of precinct election commissions.

It is important not only to improve hard skills, i.e. professional skills, knowledge of electoral legislation, but also the development of soft skills – competencies for communicating with participants in the electoral process, making prompt decisions in conditions of uncertainty and possible critical situations. Improving these skills will improve the work, develop the potential of election commissions at all levels as the main subjects for holding legitimate, open, fair elections.

As a methodological basis for training, the Educational and Methodological Toolkit will be used, taking into account the novelties in the electoral legislation for the election of Mazhilis and maslikhats members. They are supplemented with new cases with analysis of critical situations that took place in past electoral campaigns. A training film will be made on the work of members of precinct election commissions on Election Day, which will be available on the website, as well as methodological manuals for members of election commissions of all levels on organisational and legal procedures during the campaign period.

As part of the campaign, the Central Election Commission will also organise training workshops both online and offline for:

- representatives of political parties;

- representatives of campaign headquarters;

- proxies of candidates and political parties;

- representatives of public organisations for the protection of the rights of people with disabilities;

- employees of financial departments of local executive bodies;

- employees of regional call centres;

- employees of the prosecutor’s office and law enforcement agencies.

Together with the Ministry of Information and Social Development, as in previous campaigns, workshops will be organised for representatives of the republican, regional mass media, as well as public associations and other non-profit organisations aimed at monitoring the elections.

As methodological support, methodological manuals explaining the legal procedures of the electoral process for political parties, candidates, the media, proxies, persons with disabilities, observers from international organisations and foreign states will be developed and posted on the CEC website. A large amount of audio, video and other visual products of information of explanatory and mobilisation nature will also be prepared for participants in the electoral process.

During the meeting, Vice Minister of Healthcare – Chief State Sanitary Doctor of the Republic of Kazakhstan Aizhan Yesmagambetova informed about the measures to prevent the spread of coronovirus infection when nominating candidates for members of the Mazhilis of the Parliament and maslikhats of the Republic of Kazakhstan in early elections.

She said that the epidemiological situation of coronavirus infection in the country is stable. Over the past two weeks, there has been a steady decline in the incidence. Up to 120 cases of COVID-19 with a positive PCR result and up to 10 cases of COVID-19 with a negative PCR result were registered per day. Over the past week, compared to the previous week, the incidence has decreased by 1.7 times (from 782 to 461 cases).

According to the matrix for assessing the epidemiological situation, the republic and all regions are in the green zone.

Moreover, in 7 regions (Shymkent city, Almaty, Atyrau, East Kazakhstan, Karaganda, Kostanay, Mangistau regions) the R index is higher than one.

In this regard, in accordance with the Decree of the Chief State Sanitary Doctor, when registering an R indicator above 1, it is recommended to wear masks in crowded places.

Considering the current situation with coronavirus infection in the republic, as well as the course of the epidemiological season for the incidence of acute respiratory viral infection and influenza, when nominating candidates, it is recommended to:

1) hold congresses and conferences for the nomination of candidates in spacious premises;

2) have uninterruptedly functioning ventilation/air conditioning systems in the premises available;

3) ensure compliance with the mask regime in regions where the R index is higher than one.

At the end of the meeting, Nurlan Abdirov drew attention to the need for the participants of the electoral process to take all necessary measures to ensure sanitary safety during this electoral process, based on the recommendation of the chief state sanitary doctor, taking into account the sanitary and epidemiological situation in the regions.

After the meeting, a media briefing was held, at which members of the Central Election Commission answered questions from media representatives.