Meeting held between the Central Election Commission and 

PACE Rapporteur

On May 6, 2025, Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mukhtar Yerman, held a meeting with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Rapporteur on Kazakhstan, Zsolt Németh, Member of the Parliament of Hungary.

Mukhtar Yerman highlighted the close ties between the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Council of Europe, and provided an overview of current electoral developments in the country, with a particular focus on the transformation of the electoral system within the framework of the Сonstitutional reform initiated by President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. He also touched upon the development and professionalization of electoral bodies, the history of electoral campaigns in Kazakhstan, the introduction of direct elections for akims of villages and districts, the role and importance of dialogue platforms under the CEC, the expansion of international cooperation and election observation institutions, the commitment to openness and transparency at all stages of the electoral process, and the creation of conditions for media representatives at polling stations.

Special attention was given to issues related to international observation of electoral campaigns in Kazakhstan, collaboration with international monitoring institutions, and the importance of open dialogue on electoral standards.

In response, Zsolt Németh gave a positive assessment of the ongoing reforms in Kazakhstan’s electoral system, emphasizing that “the recent elections in Kazakhstan were free, reflecting the results of electoral system reforms.” He also noted the significant development of the country’s electoral system and the systematic level of engagement with the OSCE/ODIHR and other international institutions.

Mr. Németh expressed his appreciation for Kazakhstan’s openness to dialogue and reaffirmed PACE’s commitment to continuing constructive cooperation.

At the end of the meeting, Mukhtar Yerman presented Zsolt Németh with an English-language monograph titled “30 Years of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan: Transformation of the Electoral System of the Republic of Kazakhstan”.