Press release on accreditation of international observers and 

consideration of the submission of the Prosecutor General of the Republic 

of Kazakhstan

On February 23, a meeting of the Central Election Commission was held to consider the submission of the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Kazakhstan on bringing to administrative responsibility certain candidates for Mazhilis members to the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan and on accreditation of observers of foreign states for early elections of Mazhilis members to the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, scheduled for March 19, 2023.

Opening the meeting, Nurlan Abdirov said that within the current election campaign, inspection trips of members of the Central Election Commission to the regions began on February 21 to provide methodological and practical assistance to territorial election commissions.

In this regard, Deputy Chairman Konstantin Petrov and CEC member Sabila Mustafina are on a business trip.

At the same time, issues arise in the activities of the Central Election Commission that require prompt consideration.

Today’s meeting was attended by 5 members of the Central Election Commission. The required quorum is present.

On the first agenda item, Nurlan Abdirov said that the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Kazakhstan provided 2 submissions to the Central Election Commission about violations of the election legislation by candidates for Mazhilis members to the Parliament.

In these cases, the norms of Article 47 of the Constitutional Act on Elections provide that candidates for members to the Parliament may be subject to administrative penalties applied in court with the consent of the Central Election Commission from the day of their registration until the announcement of the election results, as well as until their registration as members of Parliament.

Head of the Department of the Service for the Protection of Public Interests of the Prosecutor General’s Office, Azamat Sargazin, informed that the Central Election Commission, in accordance with paragraph 3 of Art. 47 of the Constitutional Act on Elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan, a submission was made by the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Kazakhstan on bringing to administrative responsibility two candidates for Mazhilis members to the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan for conducting pre-election campaigning during the period of its prohibition. The CEC adopted a corresponding resolution.

On the second issue, Secretary of the Central Election Commission Mukhtar Yerman made a report. He informed that 97 observers from 11 foreign states and 3 international organisations have been accredited to date.

Today, applications of 14 observers from 5 foreign countries were submitted for accreditation: 2 candidates each from the UK, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the People’s Republic of China, as well as 3 candidates each from the Slovak Republic and the Republic of Estonia. The CEC adopted a resolution on the accreditation of the submitted candidates.