IPA CIS Observers and Kazakhstan’s CEC Leadership Discussed Preparations for Presidential Elections

On 2 November, the IPA CIS international observers, headed by Secretary General of the IPA CIS Council Dmitriy Kobitskiy, discussed the preparations for the Kazakhstan’s early presidential elections with Chairman of the CEC of the Republic Nurlan Abdirov. The event took place within the framework of the long-term monitoring of the electoral campaign and was held online.

During the meeting, Dmitriy Kobitskiy briefed the interlocutors on the formation of the IPA CIS international observer team, who will work in Kazakhstan at the invitation of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tleuberdi. According to the Secretary General, the IPA CIS Observer Team can make up more than 50 observers. Deputy Speaker of the lower house of the Parliament Tajikistan Dilrabo Mansuri was appointed the Team Coordinator.

The observers will arrive in Kazakhstan for short-term monitoring on 17 November.

On the voting day, the IPA CIS observers will work at polling stations in Astana, other regions of the Republic, as well as at foreign polling stations in Baku, Yerevan, Minsk, Bishkek, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Paris, Rome, Istanbul, Bucharest and other cities.

The election results will be published in accordance with the law within 10 days after the vote.

Nurlan Abdirov assured the IPA CIS international observers that the election administration bodies created all the necessary conditions for the elections in strict accordance with the legislation of the Republic and international standards, and that the Observer Team received all the information necessary.

The Chairman of the CEC informed the meeting participants that the meeting of the Expert Advisory Board under the CEC of the Republic of Kazakhstan would be held on 11 November to discuss the final report of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) on monitoring the republican referendum on 5 June 2022. The Chairman of the CEC invited the IPA CIS international observers to take part in this meeting.

Deputy Head of the IPA CIS Council Secretariat – IPA CIS IIMDD Director Ivan Musket informed the meeting participants that on 28 October during the IPA CIS autumn session the revised Recommendations for CIS International Observers on Elections and Referenda Monitoring had been adopted.  In addition, the parties exchanged information on the work of the CEC of Kazakhstan and the IPA CIS with young voters. They agreed to consider the possibility of holding joint events in the format of youth clubs.

The event was also attended by Plenipotentiary Representative of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan at the IPA CIS Igor Musalimov, staff members and experts of the IPA CIS IIMDD.

Photo: www.parlament.tj