On 21 November, 2022, SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming made a final statement for the media on the results of the SCO Observer Mission's work at the early presidential elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan.
The SCO Observer Mission carried out its task from 17 to 20 November, 2022. The Mission comprised 18 accredited observers, including representatives of legislative and executive bodies of the SCO member states, as well as officials from the SCO Secretariat and the SCO RATS Executive Committee. The mission visited 22 polling stations in four districts of Astana and one district in the Akmolinsk Region to monitor the voting.
The SCO Secretary-General stressed that the Kazakhstani authorities had created all the conditions necessary for smooth monitoring of the elections’ preparation and holding, providing clear evidence of the openness and transparency of the process as an expression of the will of the citizens of Kazakhstan. The professional level of the staff of precinct election commissions deserves high praise.
Based on the observation results, the Mission has stated that the early presidential elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan took place in accordance with the electoral legislation of Kazakhstan and with the country’s international obligations. The Mission did not record any violations of national legislation that would call the elections legitimacy into question. The Mission recognises the elections as transparent, credible, and democratic. The voter turnout announced by the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan fully corresponds to observation.
The briefing was also attended by the following SCO Observer Mission members: Alexander Vysokinsky, member of the Federation Council Committee of the Federal Assembly of Russia, Arthur Golovanov, Deputy Director of the SCO RATS Executive Committee, and Khudoyor Mamatov, Head of the Secretariat of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
