On December 15, 2022, a meeting of the Central Election Commission was held on the results of the nomination and determination of the costs of candidates for Senators to the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan

On December 15, 2022, a meeting of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan (hereinafter referred to as the CEC) was held for the regular elections of Senators to the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, scheduled for January 14, 2023, which considered the following issues:

1. “On the results of the nomination of candidates for Senators to the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan”;

2. “On establishing the amount of expenses of candidates for Senators to the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, covered from the funds of the republican budget.”

On the first issue, the territorial election commissions of the regions, Astana, Almaty and Shymkent reported on the results of the nomination of candidates for Senators to the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan by regions.

Acting Chairman of the Central Election Commission Konstantin Petrov noted that from November 29 to December 14, 2022, 130 candidates across the republic were nominated for Senators to the Parliament for 20 seats in the upper chamber. For comparison, in 2020, 94 candidates were nominated in the regular elections to the Senate of the Parliament, in 2017 – 89 candidates, in 2014 – 88. Thus, there is a tendency to increase the number of candidates. On average, there are more than 6 contenders for one senator’s mandate.

Among the regions, the largest number of candidates was nominated in the Abay region, the West Kazakhstan region, the Kyzylorda region – by 8 people each, in Almaty and Astana – by 10 each. The smallest number – 5 in Akmola, Aktobe, Almaty, East Kazakhstan, Zhambyl, Kostanay, Pavlodar, North Kazakhstan regions and 6 from Shymkent.

Among the candidates, 97.7% (127) are self-nominated and 2.3% (3) were nominated by maslikhats.

The average age of candidates is 50.5 years. The youngest candidate is 30 years old, the eldest is 74 years old.

There are 33 women among the nominated candidates. For comparison, in the elections in 2020, 19 women were nominated as candidates, in 2017 – 13, in 2014 – 5.

Breakdown by profession: 22 engineers, 21 economists, 21 teachers, 18 lawyers, 15 agricultural workers, 5 doctors, 2 journalists, 3 political experts, 23 others.

Among the candidates: 36 employees of commercial structures; 27 employees of state organisations, enterprises and institutions; 48 civil servants, 9 representatives of public organisations, 2 retirees, 3 temporarily unemployed.

Currently, the process of registration of candidates for Senators to the Parliament is underway, which will last until December 24 this year. To date, 49 candidates have been registered by election commissions.

At the end of his speech, Konstantin Petrov noted that the results of the registration of candidates for Senators to the Parliament will be considered at a separate meeting of the Central Election Commission.

Sabila Mustafina, member of the Central Election Commission, made a presentation on the second issue. In her report, S. Mustafina noted that the state guarantees equal allocation of funds to candidates for speaking with their programs in the media:

- on television (live or recorded) – fifteen minutes;

- on the radio – ten minutes;

- for publications in printed periodicals or online publications of two articles, no more than 0.1 printed sheet.

Candidates independently redistribute the volume of publications in print and/or online publications, television and radio channels within the funds allocated to them by the state for the presentation of their election programs.

The republican budget also covers the expenses of candidates for holding public pre-election events, publishing campaign materials and transportation costs, in the amount established by the Central Election Commission.

Based on the above, the CEC, by its resolution, set the amount of expenses of a candidate for Senator to the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, covered from the republican budget, in the amount of 550,000 KZT:

1) presentation of a program on television, on radio and publication of 2 articles in printed periodicals – 400,000 KZT;

2) holding public pre-election events and issuing campaign materials – 70,000 KZT;

3) transportation costs – 80,000 KZT.

S. Mustafina also noted that in accordance with Articles 34, 75 of the Constitutional Act “On Elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan,” each candidate for Senator to the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan shall have the right to form an election fund.

After the meeting, a briefing was held, at which the members of the Central Election Commission answered questions from the media.

The Central Election Commission notes that, in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 51 of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, half of the elected Senators are re-elected every three years.