On April 7, 2022, a working trip of the Chairman of the Central Election Commission Nurlan Abdirov to the West Kazakhstan region took place

On April 7, 2022, as part of the working trip of the Chairman of the Central Election Commission Nurlan Abdirov to the West Kazakhstan region a large meeting as in previous regions was held with representatives of political parties, the Council of Veterans, NGOs, the media, public opinion leaders, bloggers, members of the region's election commissions. The event was attended by about 300 people.

The keynote of the meeting was the clarification and discussion of the initiatives of the Head of State to modernize the electoral process set out in the Address to the people of Kazakhstan dated March 16, 2022. The participants of the meeting positively evaluating the proposed innovations focused on a mixed electoral system in the election of representative bodies. At the same time, in their opinion half of the deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament should be elected by the majority principle

Suggestions in the audience were made on the need to introduce the election of akims of regions, reduce the election fee, revise the procedure for submitting tax returns for candidates for deputies and promote persons with disabilities.

The meeting also touched upon the formation and activities of election commissions, respect for rights and powers of observers, their training on a systematic basis and equipping polling stations with video surveillance cameras. In the course of meaningful and active discussions, alternative proposals and opinions were voiced.

The role of "Exit poll" in the electoral process and the possibility of conducting this procedure by a large number of independent public organizations were noted. According to speakers, conducting such a survey will increase the political culture of voters, as well as ensure the transparency of the elections.

An important point of the tenure of the Chairman of the CEC was a meeting with representatives of youth from various universities and colleges, youth organizations in the region. The event, which aroused great interest and was held in the format of an active and open dialogue, was attended by over 180 people.

As always, the youth focused on the introduction of remote electronic voting, its advantages and disadvantages. Many have indicated the positive aspects of electronic voting, such as efficiency and simplicity. At the same time, other participants believe that there are also risks associated with possible external interference in information systems, threats of leakage of voters' personal data and low quality of the Internet in remote settlements.

Young people note that the main priority is quality education. It is also important to actively participate in public and political life. According to the general opinion, such meetings with the leadership of the CEC contribute to improving the legal literacy and civic engagement of young people.

In general, the conversation that took place showed the interest of young people in the electoral process and their readiness to take part in democratic reforms.

The audience took part with interest in the online survey on the main issues of the electoral process. The survey results showed the following: 43.8% of respondents support the introduction of remote electronic voting; 42.9% vote for mixed electronic voting (stationary, remote); 68.8% of respondents believe that a candidate for the President of the country must know the state language and a linguistic exam is mandatory; 61.6% of the respondents answered that a citizen who had a criminal record cannot be nominated for elected positions of the President, deputy, akim. Also, 49.1% of respondents answered that a deputy elected on a party list cannot change his party affiliation.

Summing up the meeting, the Chairman of the CEC thanked the youth of the region for a meaningful and interesting dialogue and encouraged them to actively participate in building the New Kazakhstan.

On the same day, Nurlan Abdirov met with residents of the Podstepnoe rural district of the Terektinsky district and Serzhan Madiyev elected akim on July 25, 2021. The meeting was attended by 82 people.

Akim shared his experience of participating in the elections and noted that despite the fact that he had previously worked in this position he feels more responsible now. After all, he needs to justify the trust of the villagers who voted for him. Residents of the village positively assess the past elections and the work of their elected akim.

During the exchange of views, issues of holding debates with the participation of all candidates for the position of akim of the village, the mandatory availability of higher education and knowledge of the law were touched upon.

Meetings of the Chairman of the Central Election Commission with the public of the West Kazakhstan region, as in other regions, were broadcast on social networks. All the questions received from the participants of all the meetings that took place were given exhaustive answers by the representatives of the CEC.

The next working trip is scheduled to Semey on April 14-15 this year.