Chairman of the CEC RK Nurlan Abdirov visited Abai region 

as part of preparations for the election of the akim of Zhanasemei district

On July 17-18, 2025, Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nurlan Abdirov paid an inspection visit to Zhanasemei district of Abai region in connection with preparations for the upcoming district akim election scheduled for July 27, 2025. The delegation also included CEC Secretary Shavkhat Utemissov, CEC member Azamat Aimanakumov, and senior staff of the Commission’s Secretariat. All activities within the framework of the visit were aimed at monitoring the readiness of commissions for the elections, assessing electoral training, ensuring the legality and transparency of the electoral process, and engaging with voters.

A total of 25 election commissions are involved in the campaign: 2 territorial and 23 precinct commissions.

Meeting with young voters of Zhanasemei district

On the first day of the visit, the CEC Chairman held a traditional meeting with young voters of Zhanasemei district. The event took place at Alikhan Bokeikhan University and gathered more than 50 active participants, including students, young professionals, and representatives of youth organizations.

During the meeting, Nurlan Abdirov spoke about the features of Kazakhstan’s updated electoral system, emphasizing that the transformation of the electoral process is a direct result of the constitutional reform initiated by the President.

“The changes in the country’s electoral system are aimed at building an open and modern model of governance in which citizens play a key role. These reforms are a response to public demand and reflect the aspiration for greater involvement of the population in decision-making processes,” Nurlan Abdirov underlined.

He stressed the importance of strengthening electoral culture among the younger generation and fostering sustainable interest in representative democracy. Special attention was given to the role of youth in electoral campaigns - not only as voters, but also as candidates, observers, and volunteers.

Young voters actively took part in the traditional online survey designed to capture public opinion on pressing issues of the electoral agenda, including recommendations from OSCE/ODIHR election and referendum observation missions. The survey results showed that:

• 75.6% of respondents support requiring presidential candidates to have prior public service experience;

• 48.9% prefer traditional paper-based voting;

• 48.9% believe citizens declared legally incapable by a court should not participate in voting;

• 37.8% support restrictions on voting rights of convicted persons;

• 71.1% receive election-related information through social networks.

The young participants also engaged actively in the Q&A session, raising issues related to the introduction of digital voting technologies and different training formats. For example, young professional Aigerim Baykadamova asked about the possibility of using new technologies in voting, Yerasyl Ospanov inquired about online voting at polling stations, and Aidyn Sakenov asked about internship programs for volunteers at the CEC.

Active participants of the meeting were presented with scientific and methodological publications of the CEC.

Meeting on election preparations

A meeting chaired by Nurlan Abdirov was held with the participation of representatives of territorial election commissions, local executive bodies, the prosecutor’s office, police department, employment and social programs department, and other authorized agencies. The discussions focused on organizational and legal aspects of the election campaign, implementation of the calendar plan for the elections, safeguarding electoral rights of citizens, and measures to ensure legality and public order throughout the electoral process. 

  

The CEC Chairman drew attention to the need for strict compliance with all provisions of electoral legislation, and for ensuring openness, transparency, and public security at every stage of the campaign.

Meeting with election commission members

As part of the visit, Nurlan Abdirov held a working meeting with members of territorial and precinct election commissions of Zhanasemei district serving on a professional permanent basis. The discussions covered preparations for the current campaign, equipment of polling stations, and voter information activities.

The CEC Chairman stressed the importance of continuous professional training of commission members, guaranteeing the secrecy of the ballot, and creating necessary conditions for voting by persons with disabilities.

Visit to the Territorial Election Commission of Zhanasemei district

The CEC Chairman visited the district’s territorial election commission, where he was briefed on the ongoing organizational and legal preparations for the akim election, training of precinct commission members, organization of document flow, readiness of voter lists, and other key issues of the current campaign.

Particular attention was given to informing voters about the date and place of voting, as well as to interaction with observers, proxies, and representatives of the media.

Control testing and training seminar

To assess the legal knowledge and practical skills of election commission members, a control test was conducted. The test assessed their knowledge of electoral legislation and procedures related to the conduct of elections.

Following the test, a practice-oriented seminar-training was held, where participants were provided with detailed explanations of key legal provisions, the algorithm of actions on election day, and typical situational cases commissions may face. The seminar covered all stages of the electoral process, functions of commissions on election day, vote counting procedures, preparation of final protocols, and other essential electoral matters. In the practical part, models of interaction with voters, proxies, observers, and media representatives were practiced, as well as methods for resolving conflict situations and ensuring legal order at polling stations.

“The Central Election Commission consistently works to ensure that every voter has the guarantee of free expression of will, and that every commission member has the necessary knowledge and competencies. We must ensure openness, transparency, and legality of elections so that public trust in the electoral system continues to grow,” said Nurlan Abdirov, summing up the working visit.