Inspection Visit of the CEC Chairman to Raiymbek District, 

Almaty Region

On July 21-22, 2025, the Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Nurlan Abdirov, paid an inspection visit to Raiymbek district of Almaty region. The visit was aimed at a comprehensive review of preparations for the upcoming election of the district akim, scheduled for August 3, 2025, holding direct dialogue with voters, as well as conducting training and awareness-raising activities for members of territorial and precinct election commissions. The CEC delegation included Commission Secretary Shavkhat Utemissov, CEC member Azamat Aimanakumov, and representatives of the CEC Secretariat.

Visit to the Territorial election commission of Raiymbek district

During the trip, the head of the CEC familiarized himself with the work of the district’s territorial election commission, its logistical and technical resources, availability of documentation, as well as the conditions for interaction with precinct commissions and other participants in the electoral process. 

The importance of strict compliance with electoral legislation, continuous electoral training of commission members, and ensuring high-level preparedness for conducting elections at all polling stations was emphasized.

Meeting on election preparations

A meeting chaired by Nurlan Abdirov was held with the participation of leaders of regional and district executive bodies, the prosecutor’s office, the police department, the employment and social programs department, and territorial election commissions. The meeting addressed preparations for the district akim election, implementation of the election calendar plan, as well as ensuring legality, security, and public order during the elections.

“Local government authorities must act strictly within their competence. Their main task is to create the conditions for citizens to exercise their electoral rights and to ensure legality in the conduct of elections,” stressed the CEC Chairman.

Meeting with young voters of Raiymbek district

A key event of the visit was a meeting with young voters of the district, attended by over 100 participants. 

The event was held in an open-dialogue format and featured a lively discussion of a wide range of issues related to the work of the CEC, the national electoral system, and youth participation in electoral processes. Addressing the participants, the CEC Chairman elaborated on the key aspects of the electoral system and the specifics of organizing elections at different levels. He detailed the large-scale institutional transformation of the electoral system carried out as part of the constitutional reform initiated by Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Special attention was given to the reintroduction of the majoritarian component, expanding citizen participation in forming public authorities, including through direct elections of akims.

“Kazakhstan’s modern electoral system has undergone profound changes. We have moved from party lists to majoritarian elections, strengthened regional representation, and opened additional channels for citizen participation. This is a real step toward enhancing people’s power,” noted the CEC Chairman.

The youth expressed keen interest in international practices and experiences in conducting elections. In this regard, Nurlan Abdirov shared information about global electoral trends, including digitalization, protection of voters’ personal data, countering disinformation, election observation, and the CEC’s cooperation with international organizations.

The participants also discussed the importance of fostering electoral culture among young voters and developing a sustainable interest in electoral participation. Such open meetings allow young people to directly engage with election authorities, receive accurate and complete information, and thereby raise the electoral culture of participants in the electoral process.

During the dialogue, participants asked a number of relevant questions regarding the electoral system, youth participation, and comparative analysis of foreign electoral practices. For example, Zhansaya Aidarkhan asked whether participation in elections is a duty or obligation of every citizen. Yelzhas Serikuly posed two questions: the essence of secret ballot as a fundamental principle of elections, and the conditions and requirements for candidates to become members of precinct election commissions. Alinar Sagym expressed interest in the CEC’s international cooperation, touching upon experience-sharing with foreign countries and specifics of their electoral systems. Abu Bakyt raised a particularly practical question, asking what a young voter should know upon reaching the age of 18 before voting for the first time. 

At the conclusion of the meeting, young voters actively participated in an online survey designed to study public opinion on key aspects of electoral system development, including issues highlighted in the recommendations of ODIHR/OSCE election and referendum observation missions. The survey aimed to take citizens’ views into account for possible improvements of electoral procedures in the future. Key survey findings:

• 71.1% of respondents support requiring presidential candidates to have public service experience;

• 33.3% prefer traditional paper-based voting;

• 17.8% believe citizens declared legally incapable by a court should not participate in voting;

• 24.4% support restrictions on voting rights of convicted persons;

• 33.3% receive election-related information through social networks.

Testing and training seminar

A test was conducted for members of election commissions, covering key areas of commission work: knowledge of electoral law, voting procedures, vote counting algorithms, preparation of protocols, as well as interaction with observers, media representatives, and others. 

Testing members’ preparedness is one of the tools to improve the quality of the electoral process and develop a professional corps of election organizers at the local level.

Following the test, an in-depth seminar-training was held for members of Raiymbek district election commissions. The training covered key provisions of electoral legislation, commission responsibilities on election day, stages of vote counting, and procedures for drafting final protocols.

In the practical part, special focus was placed on analyzing situational cases commissions may face on election day. Participants worked through action algorithms when interacting with voters, proxies, observers, and media representatives, as well as approaches to resolving potential non-standard situations. Emphasis was placed on upholding citizens’ electoral rights, ensuring law and order, and maintaining transparency at all stages of voting. 

The interactive format of the event strengthened the practical orientation of commission members’ training and helped establish a unified approach to implementing procedures at polling stations in line with current legislation.

Visit to polling stations

The CEC representatives visited polling stations No. 762, 763, and 764. During the visits, they reviewed the technical equipment of polling stations and the preparedness of commissions for conducting elections. Special attention was given to informing voters about the time and place of voting, ensuring electoral rights of persons with disabilities, and creating necessary conditions for the work of participants in the electoral process on election day - including proxies, observers, and media representatives.