STATEMENT by the SCO Observer Mission on the results of monitoring the early elections of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan 20 November 2022

The Observer Mission of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (hereinafter referred to as the Mission), acting at the invitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, carried out observation work during the early elections of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, from 17 November to 20 November 2022.

The Mission regards the invitation of international observers as indicative of the Republic of Kazakhstan’s commitment to ensuring the openness and transparency of this political event.
 
1. Mission members

Representatives from the legislative and executive bodies and diplomats from the SCO member states, as well as the SCO Secretariat and the SCO RATS Executive Committee officials, 18 observers in all, have been accredited to the Mission of the Central Election Commission (CEC) of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The Mission was headed by SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming.

The SCO member states were represented in the Mission as follows: Envoy Counsellor of the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Republic of Kazakhstan Wang Tao; Attaché from the Embassy of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of Kazakhstan Li Zixin; Member of the Central Election Commission for Elections and Referendums of the Kyrgyz Republic Anar Dubanbayeva; Expert of the Department of International Cooperation and Interaction with Participants of the Electoral Process of the Central Election Commission for Elections and Referendums of the Kyrgyz Republic Kanimet Sarbagyshev; Deputy Head of the Diplomatic Mission/Head of the Office of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in the Republic of Kazakhstan Altaf Hussain; Chairman of the Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation Gennady Semigin; Member of the Federation Council Committee of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Alexander Vysokinsky; Member of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation Konstantin Mazurevsky; Member of the Central Commission for Elections and Referendums of the Republic of Tajikistan Khidirzoda Mahfirat Umar; Member of the Central Commission for Elections and Referendums of the Republic of Tajikistan Yusufbek Shodmonbekov; and Head of the Secretariat of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan Khudoyor Mamatov.

From the SCO Secretariat:

Counsellor Iskander Baytasov; Second Category Expert Fan Yingchuan; administrative aide Zheng Haining, and administrative aide Azamat Kospanov.

From the SCO RATS Executive Committee:

Deputy Director of the SCO RATS Executive Committee Artur Golovanov; administrative aide Chaudhary Brij Mohan Singh.

The Mission performed its functions in accordance with the Guidelines on SCO Observer Missions at Presidential and/or Parliamentary Elections, as well as Referendums, in compliance with the principles of political neutrality, objectivity and non-interference in the internal affairs of the state and in strict accordance with the national legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

On 27 September 2022, after receiving an invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the SCO Secretariat began to form the Mission. By order of SCO Secretary-General Zhang Ming, a Working Group of the Secretariat was created, which coordinated the mission’s activities. The working group engaged in an in-depth analysis of practical aspects of holding elections and the specifics of national legislation, as well as in monitoring the activities of the media during the campaign for early elections. The SCO Secretariat’s media resources regularly posted materials about the mission’s activities during the ongoing elections.

The mission’s head and members met with the CEC of the Republic of Kazakhstan, polling station commissions and public observers.

On 19 November, Head of the Mission Zhang Ming and other observers visited polling stations Nos 83, 58, 309, 111 and 314, to familiarise themselves with the preparations for the elections. They also had discussion with commission members.

Conclusions have been drawn based on the facts gathered during preparations for the elections and the voting period.

1. The Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 30 August 1995.

2. Constitutional Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan No 2464 On Elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 28 September 1995.

3. Constitutional Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan No 2592 On the Republican Referendum dated 2 November 1995.

4. Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan No 148 On Local Government and Self-Government in the Republic of Kazakhstan dated 23 January 2001.

5. Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan No 344 On Political Parties dated 15 July 2002.

The text of the resolution on calling early elections of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan of 2022:

1. Call early elections of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan for 20 November 2022.

2. The Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan shall take proper measures to ensure the organisation and conduct of the early presidential elections.

3. The Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan shall take proper steps to ensure the organisation, logistics and funding of the early presidential elections.

4. Akims (mayors) of the cities of Astana, Almaty, Shymkent and their regions shall ensure the timely compilation of accurate lists of eligible voters, and shall assist the central, territorial and district election commissions in organising and holding early presidential elections.

5. This executive order shall enter into force from the date of its first official publication.
 
4. Public awareness
 
Information support for elections is provided by public authorities, election commissions and mass media in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The CEC of the Republic of Kazakhstan updates voters about the progress of the campaign for electing the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The media have an obligation to provide every citizen with the opportunity to get familiar with the documents, decisions and information sources that affect their rights and interests.

Election commissions create appropriate conditions for unfettered access to their decisions, which are posted on public telecom networks.

The media instantly provide the election commissions concerned with an opportunity to publish information about the progress of the election campaign and reports as established by the Constitutional Law.

Periodicals publish information from the election commissions in the manner and volume determined by the Central Election Commission and the expenses are covered by funds from national and local budgets.

The media have an obligation to spread information about the nomination of all candidates and party lists and their registration with election commissions and to allocate equal print space or airtime to each.

In pursuance of this rule, all CEC meetings were held online on the commission’s website and YouTube channel with sign language translation. The accredited media representatives attended all events held by the Central Election Commission. Meetings were followed by media briefings as part of the agenda.

To promote awareness, the Central Commission commissioned a range of information packages, including audio and video materials, online banners, modules, and billboards, about the ongoing early elections.

Audiovisual and printed materials were made available in the national and regional media. Territorial election commissions were advised to project them on demonstration screens in crowded places.

In addition, informational banners about the holding of early presidential elections were posted on the websites of central state and local executive bodies.

Under subparagraph 4 of Article 1 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan On Mass Media, websites are considered mass media as well, i.e. they are subject to the provisions of the law on elections, so online campaign materials were monitored just like print media.

Presidential candidates participated in the CEC-sponsored televised election debates.

The Central Electoral Commission was responsible for determining the procedure and terms for conducting the election debates, ensuring they were the same for all challengers, without unfair advantages for any particular candidate or political party.

The state ensured that the candidates were allocated equal amounts of time for promoting their programmes in the media: 15 minutes on television (live or recorded); 10 minutes on radio; and two articles of no more than 0.1 printer’s sheet for publications in printed or online media.

Under the Constitutional Law, no campaigning was allowed the day before the election or on the election day itself.

Television and radio programme (broadcast) recordings containing election campaign materials shall be kept in the editorial office of any particular media outlet for at least six months after the date of the most recent recording on television channels.

Opinion polls and exit polls can be conducted by legal entities registered in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan with at least five years of experience in conducting public opinion polls. They need to notify the CEC in writing in advance and attach the copies of the required documents.

On the election day, from the moment a polling station opens until the establishment of the voting results, one representative from each media outlet can be present at the polling station at any given point during the vote count, provided that they have an official ID and an assignment from the editorial board.

The Mission notes that all campaign activities were carried out in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, were designed to improve voter awareness and were held with the direct involvement of the media.

During the period of its duty, the Mission did not receive any campaign-related complaint.

Members of the Mission note that, while drafting and implementing the Calendar Plan (approved by Resolution No 65/538 of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan, dated 22 September 2022) that stipulated organisational measures to prepare for and hold early presidential elections, the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan conducted large-scale organisational activities to ensure an unimpeded voting process.

It has been stipulated that presidential candidates of the Republic of Kazakhstan meet specific requirements under Article 33.2 and 33.3 and Article 41.2 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Media outlets published the line-up of territorial election commissions, the boundaries of election districts and the structure of district election commissions.

Observers from foreign states and international organisations were accredited. Authorised representatives of presidential candidates of the Republic of Kazakhstan were registered, and each of them received the relevant ID documents.

The staff at passport services took part in verifying the authenticity of signatures in support of presidential candidates of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The concerned parties compiled the relevant protocol and submitted it to the Central Election Commission.

The place of residence denotes the place of permanent registration. Temporarily registered persons were only listed in line with their applications.

To guarantee this right, local executive agencies organised online services, set up call centres and provided online resources to inform people about their inclusion in polling station lists.

People were allowed to study lists and to authenticate their personal data at the premises of the relevant district commissions.  

Citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan arriving in foreign states by private invitation and going there on official, business and tourist trips were also listed by district commissions on application and after presenting valid passports.

The Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Kazakhstan assisted district commissions, located outside Kazakhstan, and helped their staff draw up lists of citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan staying abroad.  

In all, 10,101 polling stations were established in the Republic of Kazakhstan, including 68 polling stations at diplomatic missions of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 53 countries. The staff of the Central Election Commission accredited 641 observers, including 532 observers from ten international organisations and 109 observers from 35 foreign states. In all, 11,950,485 voters were listed.

The official website of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan posted all regulatory and legal documentation, as well as thematic instructions, recommendations and collected materials for the organisers of the elections and for the voters.

The Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan, in cooperation with local administrations and public-political organisations, held numerous meetings, news conferences and events to explain the significance of these elections. This work evoked public interest and broad support from the country’s population.

The six candidates supported by voters were listed on the ballot papers in the following order:

Karakat Abden from the Republican Public Association National Alliance of Professional Social Workers;

Nurlan Auesbaev from the opposition National Social Democratic Party;

Jiguli Dairabaev from the Auyl People’s Democratic Patriotic Party;

Meiram Kazhyken from the Amanat Republican Trade Union Association;

Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the incumbent President of Kazakhstan, nominated by the Amanat and Ak Zhol parties and the People’s Party of Kazakhstan;

Saltanat Tursynbekova from the Republican Public Association Kazak Analary – Desturge Zhol (Kazakhstani Mothers – The Road to Traditions).

For the first time, ballot papers also included an “against all” option for voters who did not support any of the candidates. 

The candidates acquainted voters with their programmes during the election campaign.
 
7. Guaranteeing electoral rights of people with disabilities

Members of the Mission praised the work of the concerned agencies to guarantee the voting rights of people with disabilities.

The Central Election Commission approved regulations for polling stations, as regards involving people with disabilities in the upcoming presidential elections.

Railings and ramps, as well as other essential accessories, including temporary ones, were installed at the entrances to polling station buildings.

Voting facilities provided maximum possible access to people with disabilities. As a rule, they were located on the ground floors of buildings, or they had lifting mechanisms allowing access to other floors.

Voting facilities also featured various tactile sensors, a booth for voting by secret ballot for people with locomotor system impairments, including wheelchair users. They also featured a specially equipped place for people with disabilities who could use a computer with a monitor measuring at least 54 cm. The user-friendly computer featured adaptive/interactive election campaign data, headphones, additional lamps and magnifying glasses.

The Central Election Commission also instructed the akims (mayors) of regions, republican cities and the capital to equip polling stations, so that they could accommodate voters with disabilities and meet their requirements.

Local executive agencies were instructed to assist election commissions in their efforts to create favourable voting conditions for people with disabilities.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, as well as local executive agencies, were instructed to update the lists of voters with disabilities and their special needs at polling stations, as well as polling stations’ data on the Accessible Environment website.

According to the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, over 600,000 people with disabilities live in Kazakhstan.

In an effort to obtain the most objective assessments, as regards preparations for and holding the early presidential elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan, members of the Mission worked at the maximum number of polling stations in Astana and the Akmola Region, that is, at 22, in all.

The Mission’s observers noted the active involvement of voters, the impressive organisational preparedness levels of members of district commissions, in the presence of representatives of public organisations. According to the Mission’s observers, staff at the election commissions worked in a transparent manner on the election day, they had a good knowledge of voting procedures, and they dealt with voters attentively and professionally.

All polling stations featured the required information and reference materials, documents and materials provided by district commissions, emergency evacuation plans and diagrams, sanitary and hygienic requirements, materials and equipment.

The entire voting process took place in a calm and welcoming atmosphere, there was no overcrowding among voters, and no outside interference or tensions occurred. No complaints and remarks were recorded at polling stations.

Members of the Mission hereby state that the early presidential elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan met the requirements of the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the country’s international obligations.

They noted no violations of national legislation. Members of the Mission admit that the elections were transparent and open, and oriented towards the further development of democratic processes in the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Observer Mission would like to thank the Foreign Ministry, the Central Election Commission and the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kazakhstan for facilitating the activities of SCO observers within their remit.
 
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Observer Mission
20 November 2022