Chairman of Kazakhstan’s CEC: We Value the Continuous Participation of CSTO PA Cbservers

On March 13 in Astana, an official meeting was held between the group of CSTO PA international observers and Nurlan Abdirov, Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan.  

Ulukbek Uzakbaev, deputy Chairman of the Committee on Law and Order, Combating Crime and Counteraction to Corruption of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic, was the coordinator of the CSTO PA observer group.  

During the working meeting, the parties discussed in detail the current election campaign and the preparation for the constitutional referendum.  

Nurlan Abdirov, Chairman of the CEC of Kazakhstan, informed international observers about the Commission's work, the status of polling stations and measures taken to ensure the transparency, openness and legitimacy of the electoral process in accordance with national legislation and international standards.  

"The visit of the CSTO PA mission is very important to us. Open dialogue with international institutions is the key to public trust in the electoral system. All our efforts today are aimed at ensuring that the citizens of Kazakhstan can freely exercise their constitutional right in conditions that fully meet high democratic standards," Nurlan Abdirov underlined. 

Ulukbek Uzakbaev thanked the Central Election Commission for the information provided and its willingness to engage in open dialogue. He stressed that the CSTO PA monitoring mission follows the principles of political neutrality, impartiality and non-interference in the internal affairs of the state.  

"The CSTO Parliamentary Assembly traditionally pays great attention to monitoring elections in the Organization's Member States. We can already see the serious groundwork carried out by the CEC of Kazakhstan. Our mission's goal is constructive cooperation," Ulukbek Uzakbaev emphasized. 

As you may recall, the main purpose of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly mission is to objectively assess the compliance of the electoral process with democratic standards and the national legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan. On the day of the referendum, March 15, visits to polling stations in Astana and the Akmola region are to take place, as well as observation of the voting process until the polls' closing time. After that, the group of observers will present its final report.