On 15–16 April 2025, the 20th European Conference of Electoral Management Bodies on the topic “Stability of Electoral Law – Practical Aspects” was held in Vilnius (Lithuania).

The event was organized by the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Lithuania together with the Council for Democratic Elections of the Council of Europe. The plenary session was opened by Raimondas Sukys, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania; Stewart Dickson, President of the Council for Democratic Elections of the Council of Europe; Martin Kuijer, Vice-President and Member of the Venice Commission; and David Blencathra, Chair of the Parliamentary Alliance for Free and Fair Elections.

The conference was attended by M. Yerman, Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and Elmira Kaliyeva, Head of Division of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The conference considered practical aspects of the experience of electoral authorities from Austria, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lithuania, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, and Estonia. Representatives of the Venice Commission, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) also delivered presentations.

Speakers emphasized the importance of ensuring compliance with key international standards in the field of electoral law, as well as the role of bodies responsible for organizing elections in safeguarding the functioning of democratic institutions.

Potential opportunities for the use of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in electoral processes were discussed, taking into account the analysis of possible risks. It was noted that electoral legislation should have a certain degree of stability, which is a key element of legal certainty and crucial for building trust in the electoral process. At the same time, according to a number of experts, amendments to legislation should be introduced with due regard to national specificities and the priorities of socio-political development.

During meetings with delegations from Ireland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, ODIHR, the Venice Commission and others, the specific features of the transformation of Kazakhstan’s electoral system in the context of constitutional reform were presented. Agreements were reached on continuing professional contacts.

Publications issued in English under the aegis and initiative of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as popular books on the history of Kazakhstan, were donated and added to the collections of the Mickiewicz Vilnius County Public Library and the Wroblewski Library of the Lithuanian Academy of Sciences.