of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated January 20, 2016 "On the dissolution of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan of the fifth convocation and the appointment of extraordinary elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan", in all regions of the republic voting will be held on the election of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, elected according to party lists, reports.

Also today, in accordance with the resolution of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated January 20, 2016 "On the appointment of the next elections of deputies of maslikhats of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the approval of the Calendar plan of the main events for the preparation and holding of the next elections of deputies of maslikhats of the Republic of Kazakhstan", a vote will be held on the election of deputies of maslikhats of the Republic of Kazakhstan .

In the western regions of the country: in Aktobe, Atyrau, West Kazakhstan and Mangistau regions, due to the time difference, voting will last until 21:00 Astana time.

The Central Election Commission of the Republic in its activities adheres to the position of openness and interaction with all organizations interested in conducting an election campaign in strict accordance with the norms "On Elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan".

The Prime Minister of Kazakhstan, Karim Massimov, cast his vote in the elections to the Mazhilis of the Parliament, and also voted for a candidate for deputies of the city maslikhat.

The Minister of Defense of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Imangali Tasmagambetov, arrived at the polling station and voted in the extraordinary elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, nominated according to party lists and maslikhats of all levels.

These elections are historic because they are taking place at a very turbulent time. Indeed, there is no stability all over the world. But as for Kazakhstan, thanks to the balanced policy of our President, we have stability and confidence in the future. Therefore, using real elections, I think we need to show the whole world our maturity as a society. As for the elections themselves, they will be honest and open, I have no doubts about that, - said K.-Zh. Tokaev.

PRESS RELEASE

On January 21, a press conference was held by the CEC of the Republic of Kazakhstan to explain the basic electoral procedures for the preparation and holding of the upcoming elections to the Mazhilis of the Parliament and maslikhats

On January 21, the Central Communications Service under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan held a press conference of the Central Election Commission to explain the basic electoral procedures for the preparation and conduct of the elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament scheduled for March 20, 2016, elected according to party lists, and elections of deputies of maslikhats, as well as on March 21, 2016, the election of deputies of the Majilis of the Parliament, elected by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan.

Chairman of the Central Election Commission K. Turgankulov informed representatives of the media that on January 20 the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan approved the calendar plans for the main events for the preparation and conduct of these election campaigns.

“In general, we believe that the combination of elections of deputies of the Mazhilis and deputies of maslikhats in the current economic conditions is an objectively justified decision. This will ensure significant savings in budget funds allocated for election campaigns. And this is about 4.8 billion tenge,” K. Turgankulov said.

According to the approved calendar plans, the main stages of the election campaigns will be held in the following terms.

In the elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament, elected by party lists, the nomination of candidates will take place until February 8, and the registration of party lists until February 19, 2016.

In accordance with the election law, the right to nominate candidates for deputies of the Mazhilis, elected on party lists, belongs to political parties, and the right to nominate candidates for deputies of the Mazhilis, elected by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, belongs to the Council of the Assembly.

To be elected as a deputy of the Mazhilis, a citizen must meet the requirements established by the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In particular, in accordance with the provisions of the Basic Law of our country, a person who has reached 25 years of age, is a citizen of the Republic of Kazakhstan and has permanently resided on its territory for the last ten years can be elected as a deputy of the Mazhilis. Citizens recognized as legally incompetent by a court, as well as those held in places of deprivation of liberty by a court verdict, do not have the right to elect and be elected.

Inclusion in the party list of persons for election to the deputies of the Mazhilis is carried out by a majority of votes from the total number of members of the supreme body of the political party. At the same time, political parties are not entitled to include in the party lists of persons who are not members of this political party.

The terms of electoral procedures for the election of deputies of the Mazhilis, elected by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, do not coincide with the terms determined for the elections of deputies of the Majilis, elected by party lists.

The nomination of candidates for deputies of the Majilis from the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan will last until February 29, and their registration will take place from February 29 to March 5.

At the same time, the nomination of candidates for deputies of maslikhats is carried out by republican or local public associations registered in accordance with the established procedure, as well as their structural divisions and citizens - through self-nomination.

During the press conference, the Head of the Central Election Commission emphasized that at present the Central Election Commission has all the necessary personnel and material resources and ready for elections.

Citizens and participants in the electoral process will be provided with the opportunity to freely exercise their constitutional right.

At the end of his speech, the Head of the Central Election Commission informed that in the near future a permanent press center would be opened during the preparation and conduct of elections.

During the press conference, members of the Central Election Commission answered questions from the media.

In particular, it was noted that one of the most important tasks of the country's electoral bodies is to ensure compliance with the basic international principles of organization, preparation and conduct of elections.

Openness, openness and transparency of the electoral process at all its stages will also be facilitated by Active participation in monitoring the elections of domestic and foreign experts. To this end, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, an institution of international observers will be opened.

The Central Election Commission will provide the electoral bodies with the necessary organizational, methodological and informational support. Relevant manuals, brochures, printed materials, as well as audio and video materials are being developed.

16.05.2016

I. Composition of the delegation of observers forextraordinary elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of the ParliamentRepublic of Kazakhstan from the CEC of Russia

On March 20-21, 2016, extraordinary elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan were held.

In the period from 18 to 22 March 2016, in agreement with the Executive Committee of the CIS and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, a delegation of the Central Election Commission was in Kazakhstan Russian Federation as part of the Mission of observers from the CIS at the extraordinary elections of deputies of the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

The delegation included:

CM. Shapiev - member of the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation (coordinator);

V.N. Pesenko - Deputy Chief of Staff of the CEC of Russia - Head of the Department public service and personnel;

E.V. Orlovskaya - Head of the Department for Work with Territories;

S.N. Aparnev - Advisor to the Chairman of the CEC of Russia;

M.Kh. Evloev - Chairman of the Electoral Commission of the Republic of Ingushetia;

V.M. Geshev - Chairman of the Electoral Commission of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic;

M.Kh. Baitokov - Chairman of the Electoral Commission of the Karachay-Cherkess Republic;

Yu.D. Demyanenko - Deputy Head of the Department of International Cooperation and Relations with International Organizations of the Department of External Relations;

A.A. Tabolkin is the chief adviser of the department of international cooperation and relations with international organizations of the Department of External Relations.

E.V. Demyanov.

In accordance with the appeal of the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Chairman of the CEC of Russia V.E. Churov to the heads of a number of constituent entities of the Russian Federation (having close economic and cultural ties with the regions of Kazakhstan), observers were sent to the Mission from the CIS, including representatives of election commissions, who carried out their activities at the expense of regional (local) budgets.

No. p / p	FULL NAME.	Position	Observation region
Republic of Bashkortostan
	HA. Valeev	Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Bashkortostan	Astana
Republic of Tatarstan
	E.S. Gubaidullin	Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Tatarstan	Astana
Altai region
	Yu.N. Smetanin	Deputy Chairman of the Election Commission of the Altai Territory
	V.V. Zamaruev	Head of the Department of the Election Commission of the Altai Territory	The East Kazakhstan region
	G.N. Komarova	Chairman of the Election Commission of the Municipal Formation of Barnaul	The East Kazakhstan region
Transbaikal region
	S.V. Sudakov	Chairman of the Electoral Commission of the Trans-Baikal Territory	Astana
Ivanovo region
	A.A. Solovyov	Chairman of the Electoral Commission of the Ivanovo Region	Astana
Kurgan region
	V.P. Samokrutov	Deputy Chairman of the Election Commission of the Kurgan Region	North-Kazakhstan region
	A.V. Kravchenko	Head of the Department for Organization of the Electoral Process of the Electoral Commission of the Kurgan Region	North-Kazakhstan region
	V.A. Ukrainians	Consultant of the Eastern Interdistrict Department of the Management of the Organization of the Electoral Process of the Office of the Electoral Commission of the Kurgan Region	North-Kazakhstan region
Leningrad region
	HE. Zhuravlenko	Head of the Sector for Work with the Mass Media and Public Associations of the Election Commission of the Leningrad Region	Alma-Ata
Novosibirsk region
	N.P. Koshkin	Secretary of the Novosibirsk City Municipal Electoral Commission	Pavlodar region
	A.A. Pasynkova	Leading Specialist of the Election Commission of the Novosibirsk Region	Pavlodar region
	E.L. Ryaguzov	member of the Election Commission of the Novosibirsk Region	Pavlodar region
Orenburg region
	A.Yu. Nalvadov	Chairman of the Election Commission of the Orenburg Region	Aktobe region
Rostov region
		Chairman of the Electoral Commission of the Rostov Region	Alma-Ata
	L.M. Katkova	inspector of the territorial election commission of the Belokalitvinsky district	Alma-Ata
	S.D. Nikonov	member of the Electoral Commission of the Rostov Region with the right of an advisory vote	Mangistau region
	O.I. Kolomiytseva	election consultant of the Salsky district of the Rostov region of the organizational and territorial department of the Electoral Commission of the Rostov region	Mangistau region
Samara Region
	N.V. Ram	Secretary of the Election Commission of the Samara Region	West-Kazakhstan region
Saratov region
	Yu.V. Bryzgalin	Deputy Chairman of the Election Commission of the Saratov Region	West-Kazakhstan region
Tyumen region
	I.N. Halin	Chairman of the Electoral Commission of the Tyumen Region	North-Kazakhstan region
	D.V. Prokopiev	Head of the Legal Department of the Electoral Commission of the Tyumen Region	North-Kazakhstan region
	V.G. Elishev		North-Kazakhstan region
	O.A. Kolosov	member of the Election Commission of the Tyumen Region	North-Kazakhstan region
Chelyabinsk region
	NOT. Gavrish	Secretary of the Electoral Commission of the Chelyabinsk Region	Kustanai region

A total of 301 people were accredited to the Mission of Observers from the CIS. The Mission included representatives of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, the Russian Federation, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, as well as the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the CIS Member States, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia, the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly and the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States.

The Mission was headed by the Chairman of the Executive Committee - CIS Executive Secretary S.N. Lebedev.

CIS observers in their activities were guided by the legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, observing the principle of non-interference in the course of the electoral process and in the internal affairs of the state.

On March 19, 2016, a delegation of observers from the CEC of Russia, headed by a member of the CEC of Russia S.M. Shapiev, met with the leadership of the CEC of Kazakhstan. Head of the CEC of Kazakhstan K.T. Turgankulov acquainted the members of the delegation with the activities of the Central Election Commission for the preparation and conduct of parliamentary elections, spoke about the features of the election campaign, about the preparations for the voting day.

During the stay of the delegation of the CEC of Russia in Kazakhstan, numerous meetings were held with colleagues - observers from different countries, during which there was an exchange of views on issues of monitoring the conduct of early elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Prerequisites for calling early elections of deputies of the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The previous elections of deputies to the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan were also extraordinary and were held on January 15–16, 2012.

On January 13, 2016, deputies of the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan adopted an Appeal to the President of Kazakhstan N.A. Nazarbayev with the initiative to terminate early the powers of the Mazhilis of the 5th convocation and call early elections.

In accordance with the requirements of the Constitution of Kazakhstan, the head of state held consultations with the chairmen of the Houses of Parliament, the Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Constitutional Council, following which it was decided to support the initiative of the deputies.

By Decree of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan dated January 20, 2016 No. 181 “On the dissolution of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan of the fifth convocation and the appointment of extraordinary elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan”, the elections of 98 deputies elected according to party lists were scheduled for March 20, and 9 deputies of the Mazhilis elected Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, on March 21, 2016.

II. The legislative framework elections of deputies of the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The elections were held on the basis of the provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan” (hereinafter referred to as the Constitutional Law), other legislative acts regulating the preparation and conduct of elections, as well as resolutions of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan (hereinafter referred to as the Central Electoral commission, CEC).

Electoral system

The preparation and conduct of the elections were carried out by the Central Election Commission, 224 territorial and 9840 precinct election commissions, including 65 abroad. Interestingly, women make up 75% of the total number of members of precinct election commissions.

The procedure for the formation and legal status of election commissions is determined by the Constitutional Law.

The CEC heads the unified system of election commissions, is a permanent body and consists of the Chairman and six members.

The Chairman and two members of the Central Commission are appointed by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, two members are appointed by the Senate and the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Their term of office is five years.

Territorial and precinct election commissions (hereinafter - TEC, PEC) consisting of 7 members were formed in 2014 for a period of five years by the relevant local representative bodies (maslikhats) based on proposals from political parties.

In accordance with the Constitutional Law, a member of an election commission cannot be:

deputies of the Parliament, maslikhats, members of other local self-government bodies;

candidates for deputies of the Parliament, maslikhats, members of other bodies of local self-government, as well as proxies of candidates;

persons holding the position of a political civil servant;

judges of courts of the Republic of Kazakhstan;

a person who has a criminal record that has not been canceled or removed in the manner prescribed by law;

a person recognized by a court as incapable or with limited capacity.

Information about the composition and location of TECs and PECs was published within the time limits established by the Constitutional Law in the media (no later than ten and seven days after the calling of elections, respectively).

III. Nomination and registration of candidates for deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan

In accordance with the Constitutional Law, the right to nominate candidates for deputies of the Mazhilis, elected according to party lists, belongs to political parties, and candidates for deputies of the Mazhilis, elected by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, belongs to the Council of the Assembly.

A deputy of the Majilis may be a citizen of Kazakhstan who has permanently resided in the territory of the republic for the last ten years, has an active right to vote and has reached the age of 25 years. A citizen recognized by a court as incompetent or held in places of deprivation of liberty by a court verdict cannot be a deputy of the Mazhilis.

Seven political parties are registered in Kazakhstan, of which six have decided to participate in the elections (the Democratic Party of Kazakhstan "Azat" refused to participate in the elections).

The six political parties that decided to participate in the elections held their congresses between January 20 and February 8, 2016, at which party lists were approved and submitted to the CEC.

The political party included in the list only persons who are members of this party. The list was compiled in alphabetical order of the state language (Kazakh).

The number of persons included in the list of candidates should not exceed the established number of deputy mandates distributed among political parties by 30% (98 mandates + 29 (30%) = 127 candidates. Thus, the maximum number of candidates included in the party list was not false exceed 127.

Along with the documents for registration of candidates, it was necessary to pay an electoral deposit in the amount of 15 times the minimum wage (342,885 tenge, which is about 69,000 rubles).

The total size of the electoral fund of a political party should not exceed the minimum wage by more than 15,000 times - no more than 342 million 885 thousand tenge (about 68 million 600 thousand rubles).

The electoral fund of the party is formed from:

party's own funds, the total amount of which should not exceed the minimum wage by more than 5,000 times (114 million 295 thousand tenge);

voluntary donations from citizens and organizations of Kazakhstan, the total amount of which should not exceed the minimum wage by more than 10,000 times (228 million 590 thousand tenge).

The deposit paid is returned to the political party in cases where, following the results of the elections, the party won at least seven percent of the votes of the voters who took part in the voting, as well as in the event of the death of the only candidate included in the party list. In all other cases, the deposit is non-refundable and turns into the income of the republican budget.

The Central Electoral Commission, after checking the compliance of the candidates included in the party lists with the requirements imposed on them by the Constitution and the Constitutional Law, registered the lists of all six political parties, in which 234 candidates were included, including 47 women (20%) .

At the meeting of the CEC on February 16, 2016, the order of placement of the names of political parties and the ballot was determined by lottery:

1. Nur Otan Party (127 candidates).

2. Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan (22 candidates).

3. Democratic Party of Kazakhstan "AK ZHOL" (35 candidates).

4. Political Party "Birlik" (8 candidates).

5. National Social Democratic Party (23 candidates).

6. People's Democratic Patriotic Party "Auyl"
(19 candidates).

The procedure for nominating candidates for deputies elected by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan took place on February 26, 2016, and their registration took place at the CEC meeting on March 2, 2016.

Parties had to receive at least seven percent of the total number of votes in order to take part in the distribution of deputy mandates. After the elections, the mandates are distributed by parties among the candidates, regardless of the number on the list.

IV. Preparation of the electoral system for early elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan

The Central Electoral Commission consistently and purposefully carried out work on training the organizers of the elections and participants in the electoral process.

The CEC held a republican seminar-conference on the organization of the preparation and conduct of elections with the participation of chairmen and secretaries of the regional, Astana and Alma-Ata election commissions.

The CEC and territorial election commissions conducted a total of over 900 seminars, meetings and trainings for participants in the electoral process, which developed recommendations on organizing work with voter lists, ensuring openness and legitimacy of electoral procedures, and transparency of the vote count.

To ensure the uniform application of the norms of the Constitutional Law and the proper execution of documents, the Central Election Commission issued:

"Collection of some resolutions of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan, adopted before the appointment of elections";

“Reminder for political parties that nominated party lists and their proxies”;

"Memo for territorial election commissions";

"Memo on consideration of appeals of individuals and legal entities about violations of the electoral legislation";

"Information and reference material for observers of foreign states, international organizations and representatives of foreign media".

A training video was also prepared for precinct election commissions “Election Day”, which explained step by step the duties of PEC members on election day.

By order of the Central Election Commission, eight types of posters were made informing about the country's international obligations in the field of democratic elections, about responsibility for violating electoral legislation, about the procedure for updating voter lists, voting using absentee ballots and voting outside the polling stations, which were placed in all polling stations.

The precinct commissions were equipped with means of communication, provided with office equipment, necessary methodological literature.

V. Working with voter lists. Ballots

In accordance with the Constitutional Law, the basis for including a citizen in the list of voters is his registration at the place of residence on the territory of the polling station. Voter lists were compiled by the akimats on the basis of information provided by the authorities responsible for registering the population.

Information about voters is provided by akimats on electronic and paper media to the relevant territorial election commissions by July 1 and January 1 annually. In addition, the CEC maintains a unified electronic registration register of citizens - voters of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

If the voter, no later than 30 days before the election day, became aware that he would not be able to take part in the voting at the place of his registration, he had the right to apply to the akimat with a written application for inclusion in the list of voters at the place of his location on the election day .

The lists of voters for each polling station, signed by akims, on February 28, 2016, were transferred under the act to the relevant election commissions.

Members of precinct commissions, by visiting citizens at their place of residence, verified the lists of voters.

Since March 4, 2016, every citizen had the right to familiarize himself with the lists in the premises of the PEC. Applications for non-inclusion, incorrect inclusion in the list or exclusion from the list, as well as inaccuracies in it, were considered by precinct commissions, whose decisions could be appealed in court.

If a voter changed his place of residence after the submission of the lists for review, he had the right, from March 4 to 18:00
On March 19, 2016, apply to the PEC and receive an absentee certificate for the right to vote.

Voters could check the availability and correctness of their data in the lists on the e-government web portal, on the websites of akimats, as well as by sending a request to the CEC e-mail address or by calling the contact centers specially created for akimats.

Until March 10, 2016, PECs sent notices to voters containing an invitation to vote, the number of the polling station, its address, telephone number and voting time.

Appeals to the residents of the republic to find themselves in the lists of voters and take part in the voting were sent by mobile operators via SMS messages.

According to the CEC, more than 9 million 800 thousand voters were included in the lists for participation in the elections, including 14,013 people abroad.

Each ballot was printed in two languages: Kazakh and Russian.

VI. Election Campaigning and Campaign Coverage

The stage of the pre-election campaign of political parties that nominated party lists began on February 20 and lasted until 24:00 on March 18, 2016. Candidates for deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament, nominated by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, campaigned from 6 to 19 March 2016.

All campaigning activities of political parties were paid from the electoral funds they created.

Each candidate for deputies of the Majilis of the Parliament, elected by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, was allocated 630,000 tenge (approximately 125,000 rubles) from the republican budget for election campaigning.

Local executive bodies and the respective TECs provided, on equal terms and on a contractual basis, premises for meetings of candidates and proxies of political parties with voters. Schedules of such meetings were published in the media.

Also, places were determined for the placement of campaign printed materials, equipped with stands, billboards, pedestals.

The constitutional law guarantees equal conditions for political parties to have access to the media for election campaigning.

The newspapers "Egemen Kazakhstan" and "Kazakhstanskaya Pravda" published election programs of political parties.

On March 16, 2016, Khabar TV channel hosted televised debates of political parties participating in the elections organized by the decision of the Central Election Commission.

According to the CEC, during the period of the campaign, 1948 election materials of the Nur Otan party, 362 materials of the CPPK, 480 materials of the DPK AK ZHOL, 230 materials of the Birlik PP, 139 materials of the OSDP, 356 materials of the PDPP "Auyl" were published and aired during the campaign. ".

In the struggle for the votes of the voters, the parties used their websites, party publications. Campaigning was also carried out by holding pre-election meetings and meetings with voters, distributing printed, audiovisual and other campaign materials.

The campaign was conducted calmly and in an organized manner, however, some violations of the procedure for conducting pre-election campaigning were allowed. There were cases of sticking posters of political parties with posters of competitors, damage to campaign materials.

According to the CEC, the mass media provided materials on the activities of political parties in comparable volumes. Since the beginning of the election campaign, the media have published 1,924 informational materials about the activities of the Nur Otan party, 1,575 materials about the activities of the CPPK, 1,661 materials about the activities of the DPK "AK ZHOL", 1,471 materials about the activities of the PP "Birlik", 1,531 materials about the activities of the OSDP, 1,504 material about the activities of the NDPP "Auyl".

Election commissions of all levels, mass media provided comprehensive information support for the election campaign.

Members of the CEC, heads of territorial commissions on the pages of printed publications, on the air of television and radio channels informed citizens about the work of the commissions, about the course of the election campaign, and explained the norms of the electoral legislation.

On January 22, 2016, the Central Election Commission adopted an “Appeal to all participants in the electoral process”, explaining the grounds for including citizens in the voter lists, the procedure for issuing absentee certificates, as well as the procedure for organizing voting outside the voting premises.

By order of the CEC, 5 informational, 13 training and 4 mobilization videos were made, as well as 20 audio clips, which were broadcast on the air of republican and regional television and radio channels, posted on popular Internet resources.

829 informational billboards were made containing basic information about the elections and calling on citizens to take part in the voting.

At the Central Electoral Commission, during the period of preparation and conduct of the elections, the Press Center operated, where briefings and press conferences were held for representatives of national and foreign media.

Information about the preparations for the elections and the activities of the CEC was posted on the website of the Central Election Commission.

During the period from February 20 to March 18, 2016, about 13,000 materials on electoral topics were published in the republican and regional media. About 6,000 stories were aired on republican television and radio channels, almost 900 articles were published in newspapers, and more than 2,600 publications were posted on Internet resources. More than 3,500 materials were published in the regional media.

VII. Work with appeals and complaints of participants in the electoral process

The Central Election Commission received 30 complaints and appeals related to the election campaign for the election of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, of which 4 complaints, 11 appeals on clarification of certain norms of the electoral legislation, another 15 appeals related to electoral procedures related to the nomination of candidates for deputies Majilis of the Parliament and information about those included in the party lists. All complaints and appeals were considered within the time limits established by the Constitutional Law, and the applicants were given answers in a timely manner.

V Supreme Court The Republic of Kazakhstan received 1 application to appeal against the actions of the CEC. The application was rejected due to non-compliance with the deadlines for appeal.

V Prosecutor General's Office The Republic of Kazakhstan received 3 appeals, which were considered with the issuance of the relevant acts of the prosecutor's response.

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan, no offenses related to the election campaign were recorded.

VIII. Voting observation

On voting day, March 20, 2016, members of the delegation of the CEC of Russia observed the voting process in the cities of Astana, Alma-Ata, Ust-Kamenogorsk, East Kazakhstan region. We visited more than 70 polling stations, carried out monitoring at the polling stations at their opening, during the voting process and during the counting of votes. Chairman of the Electoral Commission of the Stavropol Territory E.V. Demyanov, who represented the CEC of Russia in the SCO Observer Mission, carried out observation in the city of Astana and the Karaganda region.

Polling stations, as a rule, were formed on the premises of schools, libraries, higher educational institutions. A festive and friendly atmosphere was created at all polling stations on voting day. At the opening, the national anthem of the republic was played, the members of the PEC and voters present at the same time sang it, pressing their hands to their hearts. Many polling stations were equipped with medical rooms and playrooms for children, performances by school creative teams were held.

All polling stations were equipped with booths for secret voting with blinds of the same color, as well as one stationary and two portable voting boxes, fully transparent, centrally manufactured. Before the start of voting, voting boxes were sealed in the presence of PEC members and observers with plastic seals and paper tapes with PEC stamps.

From the moment of opening of the polling station and until the establishment of the voting results, the following persons had the right to be present at the polling station:

observers of foreign states and international organizations;

representatives of foreign media;

interpreters accompanying observers of foreign states, international organizations and representatives of foreign media;

one observer from each political party, other public association, other non-profit organizations of the Republic of Kazakhstan;

one proxy from each political party that nominated a party list;

one representative from each media outlet of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

During the observation, at all polling stations visited by the members of the delegation of the CEC of Russia, there was a high activity of voters, the well-functioning of the voting process. An opportunity was provided for free communication with voters and members of election commissions.

By tradition, the first voters were the elderly, which, of course, was a positive example for voters of other age categories.

Voters, upon presentation of a document proving the identity of a citizen, received ballot papers and signed the list. In accordance with the Constitutional Law, the documents proving the identity of a citizen are: a passport, an identity card, a temporary identity card, a military ID for conscripted military personnel.

The PEC member who issued the ballot put his signature on it, and also signed in the voter list opposite the name of the voter who received the ballot.

Voters filled out the ballots in the booth for secret voting, by putting down, in accordance with the Constitutional Law, any sign in the empty square to the right of the name of the political party for which they voted.

Voters who, for health reasons, others good reasons did not have the opportunity to come to vote at their polling station, could vote outside the polling station by notifying the PEC at least 12 hours before voting day in writing. The application had to be submitted no later than 12 noon on the voting day.

Upon receipt of the application, the chairman of the PEC made a corresponding mark in the list of voters opposite the name of the voter who submitted the application. To ensure voting, two members of the PEC with a portable ballot box went out. Observers or proxies of political parties had the right to accompany them.

If a voter for some reason could not take part in voting at his polling station, he was entitled to receive an absentee certificate. On voting day, a voter who presented an absentee certificate and a document proving his identity was included by a member of the PEC in the list of voters under the next sequential number after the last one. After filling in the relevant data of the voter in the list of voters, the PEC member signed the absentee certificate and issued a ballot.

Polling stations were equipped with computers provided by maslikhats. As a rule, secretaries of commissions worked for them. Software allows you to perform two tasks: working with the list of voters, preparing a protocol (in the form of an excel spreadsheet) on the results of voting at the polling station and printing it out in required quantity copies.

At each polling station, a computer was located in a separate room, connected via a network to the population service center of the given area. If the voter was not on the voter list, he could contact a volunteer working at this computer, who requested confirmation of voter registration. The answer to the request came, as a rule, within a few minutes on the official letterhead e-mail or by facsimile and was the basis for the inclusion of a citizen in the list of voters in this area.

In the cities of Astana and Alma-Ata, "exit polls" were held at the exit from the polling stations.

Representatives of the election commissions of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation as part of the delegations of their constituent entities took an active part in monitoring the preparation and conduct of extraordinary elections of deputies to the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Thus, the delegation of the Tyumen region carried out observation in the city of Petropavlovsk, Kyzylzhar and Mamlyut regions of the North Kazakhstan region. During the observation, 41 polling stations were visited. A high turnout of voters was noted, both in large settlements and in small villages located at a considerable distance from the administrative center of the region - the city of Petropavlovsk. Also noted high level training of PEC members, the proper quality of their performance of their duties, the friendly atmosphere created at the polling stations.

On the territory of the Russian Federation, five polling stations were established for the voting of Kazakh citizens in early parliamentary elections. The sites were formed at the diplomatic missions of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kazan, Astrakhan, Omsk.

In connection with the appeal of the Russian Foreign Ministry, the leadership of the CEC of Russia instructed the relevant election commissions of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation to provide the necessary assistance in organizing the voting of Kazakhstani citizens. So, in Kazan and St. Petersburg, booths for secret voting were provided for equipping voting rooms. In all these cities, the internal affairs bodies ensured the protection of public order in the area around the diplomatic missions.

On March 21, 2016, a member of the CEC of Russia S.M. Shapiev, V.N. Pesenko, S.N. Aparnev attended the 13th extraordinary session of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, at which nine deputies of the Majilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan were elected. Participated in the voting
372 voters.

According to the CEC of Kazakhstan, 9,810,852 citizens were included in the voter lists, of which 7,566,150 people, or 77.12 percent, took part in the voting. 116,159 voters cast their ballots outside the polling stations. There was no early voting.

On March 22, 2016, the Central Election Commission established the following election results for a single republican constituency:

Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan - 537,123 votes (7.14%);

Democratic Party of Kazakhstan "AK ZHOL" - 540,406 votes (7.18%);

National Social Democratic Party - 88,813 votes (1.18%);

People's Democratic Patriotic Party "Auyl" - 151,285 (2.01%).

Taking into account the seven percent barrier, the deputy mandates among political parties were distributed as follows:

Party "Nur Otan" - 84;

Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan - 7;

Democratic Party of Kazakhstan "AK ZHOL" - 7.

Based on the results of the observation, it can be concluded that the extraordinary elections of deputies to the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan were held in accordance with international standards, in accordance with the current legislation of the Republic of Kazakhstan and at a good organizational and legal level.

The observation showed that, in general, the process of voting and counting of votes was open and transparent, and the shortcomings were of a technical nature. There were no violations that called into question the results of the elections.

X. Shortcomings in the organization of voting

According to the members of the delegation of the CEC of Russia, the following can be noted:

1. Insufficient number of PECs. Traditionally, in Kazakhstan, high voter turnout is observed in the first 3–5 hours of voting, while significant crowds of citizens arose during the issuance of ballots. This created some difficulties for the observers, as their positions were located in such a way that they did not always ensure observation of the issuance of ballots and the voting process.

2. Conditions for voting of citizens with disabilities are not sufficiently developed. Ramps were not installed everywhere at the entrance to polling stations, some voting rooms were located on the second floor, which, in principle, excluded the possibility of voting by a wheelchair user. There was no voting equipment for the visually impaired. In accordance with the Constitutional Law, a voter who is not able to independently fill out a ballot has the right to use the help of a person whom he trusts, whose name after voting is entered in the list next to the signature of the voter in receiving the ballot. Such a person cannot be members of the PEC, observers, media representatives, proxies of candidates, officials of the maslikhat or akimat. However, according to information from election commissions, the vast majority of voters with disabilities prefer to vote outside the polling station. It can be noted that many polling stations were attended by volunteers who, if necessary, provided assistance to the disabled.

4. The use of one stationary ballot box with a high voter turnout created certain difficulties for voters, PEC members and observers, and led to significant gatherings of citizens.

5. The area of ​​the premises of the PEC did not always correspond to the high turnout of voters.

6. There were cases of issuing ballots without presenting a document proving the identity of a citizen, which were not of a mass nature.

Department of External Relations

On Sunday, March 20, early elections to the lower house of Kazakhstan's parliament (Mazhilis) did not bring any special sensations. According to the information voiced by the head of the Central Election Commission Kuandyk Turgankulov, with a voter turnout of more than 77 percent, only three political parties made it to the Mazhilis, having overcome the 7 percent threshold established by law.

Enviable performance

It's about about the presidential party Nur Otan (Light of the Fatherland), which received 82.15 percent, as well as the party of entrepreneurs Ak Zhol (Bright Path) and the Communist People's Party of Kazakhstan (CPPK). For the last two, according to the CEC, 7.18 and 7.14 percent of voters voted, respectively.

As for the remaining three parties that participated in the elections, "Auyl" ("Village"), as well as the opposition "Birlik" ("Unity") and the National Social Democratic Party (OSDP) received a little more than 4 percent in total. It is interesting that the data of the Central Election Commission coincided almost to hundredths with the results of exit polls conducted by various sociological companies.

Having learned about Nur Otan's victory, President Nazarbayev arrived at the headquarters of the party he leads and stressed: "The people once again placed their trust in the course we are pursuing, in those programs and platforms announced by Nur Otan." The task before us is very difficult ", and this victory is the trust of the people. Look: 82 percent! What party in the world can even dream of such indicators?!"

A small sensation and doubts about the official results

However, this election did not do without a small sensation. In Kazakhstan's most politically active city, Alma-Ata, only 34 percent of those eligible to vote came to the ballot box. While in other regions of the country, even 3 hours before the closing of polling stations, a turnout of around 70 percent was reported. This fact, as well as a considerable number of video and photo materials posted on social networks, which, according to their authors, recorded violations of the electoral law, allowed the experts interviewed by DW to cast doubt on the election results.

According to political scientist Tolganai Umbetaliyeva, despite the fact that the political and economic situation in Kazakhstan has changed a lot, the results of the completed elections repeated the results of the previous ones, from 2012.

“In my opinion, the new party alignment in the Majilis reflects the interests and moods not of the Kazakh society, but of the authorities, whose main task is to maintain the stability of their status. After all, the new alignment will allow Nur Otan to again make the lion's share of decisions without the participation of other parties. So , there will be no sharp discussions, and the parliament itself will retain its stagnant character," Umbetaliyeva said in an interview with DW.

Stability or stagnation?

A similar point of view is shared by a public figure from Atyrau, Zhasulan Kuzhekov. In a conversation with DW, he noted that, having used proven technologies to prevent opposition parties from entering parliament, the authorities of Kazakhstan did not take into account the sharply increased role social networks.

"It is in them that dozens of gross violations of the voting procedure and vote counting were recorded. However, this did not prevent the election commissions and the courts from ignoring the claims of independent observers. Today, a situation has developed in Kazakhstan where the authorities do not even bother to justify or punish violators caught by the hand," Kuzhekov noted. And he added that the last elections showed that cynicism and the lack of honest relations between the authorities and the population of Kazakhstan have become a norm that can only be changed by radical political reforms: “And they can be implemented only under one condition. But everyone prefers to keep quiet about this condition. I'll shut up too."

Context

Opposition politician Amirzhan Kosanov, in an interview with DW, called the results of the elections to the Majilis expected: "The current electoral system in Kazakhstan does not allow even the sprouts of real competition to appear. It seems that our government has confused two concepts: stability and stagnation."

According to Kosanov, even despite the crisis and the sharp deterioration in people's lives, the same parties got into parliament as before, and the percentages they received remained at the same level, which indicates stagnation. "The sensation didn't work out. Theoretically, a united opposition could become its author. But this time it didn't appear either," Kosanov complained.

Observer ratings and a look into the future

Meanwhile, in a report published on Monday, March 21, observers from the OSCE/ODIHR questioned the record voter turnout and noted the lack of transparency in the process of forming regional and territorial election commissions, which did not include opposition representatives. In addition, the report draws attention to the formal approach to ensuring equal access of political parties to the media funded from the state budget. But observers from the CIS, SCO and the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-Speaking Countries (TurkPA), without revealing any violations, called the elections to the Majilis "objective, open, free and democratic."

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, represented by its leader Yerlan Idrisov, has already responded to the criticism of the OSCE observers: "We are a young country and we know that our political institutions are in the process of development. Of course, we will carefully study the assessments and recommendations of international observers."

The possible political modernization of the country after the elections was announced by the President of Kazakhstan, Nazarbayev. But experts in this regard are skeptical. According to political scientist Artur Nigmetov, one should not expect the constitutional reforms announced by the authorities in the near future: “Yes, new people will appear in the parliament, but the majilis will continue to stamp laws passed down to deputies by the government. New akims (governors) will appear in a number of regions. Ed.), there will be personnel changes in the Cabinet. It is possible that curators will change in the presidential administration domestic policy which will bring some novelty to ideological politics. But nothing more."

Chairman of the Central Election Commission Kuandyk Turgankulov said that the nomination of candidates for deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament, elected according to party lists, will last until February 8, 2016, IA Novosti-Kazakhstan reports.

On Wednesday, Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev signed a decree dissolving the lower house of parliament (Majilis) and scheduled early parliamentary elections for March 20, 2016.

According to Turgankulov, the election campaign will consist of three key stages.

"The first stage is the nomination. The nomination of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament, elected on party lists, begins from the moment a decision is made to call elections and will last until February 8, 2016," Turgankulov said, speaking at a briefing on Thursday.

He recalled that the right to nominate belongs to political parties registered in the prescribed manner. Deputies of the Mazhilis, elected by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, are nominated by the Council of the Assembly. The nomination of candidates for deputies of the Mazhilis, elected by the ANC, will last from February 20 to 29.

"Candidates for deputies of maslikhats are nominated by republican and local public associations registered in the prescribed manner, as well as their structural divisions and citizens through self-nomination. In the upcoming elections of deputies of maslikhats, nomination begins from the moment the CEC adopts a resolution on calling elections and will last until February 19, 2016 ", he noted.

The second stage of the election campaign is registration. "Registration of party lists will be carried out by the CEC until February 19, 2016. Registration of candidates for deputies of the Mazhilis, elected by the ANC, will take place from February 25 to March 5 this year," the chairman added.

Registration of candidates for maslikhat deputies will be carried out by territorial election commissions until February 23 of this year.

"The third stage is the pre-election campaign. In accordance with the calendar plan approved by us, the pre-election campaign for the elections of deputies of the Majilis of Parliament, elected by party lists, will start on February 20 and will last until 24:00 on March 18, 2016. from March 6 to March 19, 2016. The election campaign of candidates for maslikhat deputies begins on February 24 and ends at 24:00 on March 18, 2016," he concluded.

Most voters will receive three ballots on election day, Turgankulov said.

"Given that the elections are combined, on Election Day, the majority of voters will receive three different ballots. One ballot for voting for political party, the second - for candidates for deputies of the regional, cities of Astana and Almaty maslikhats, the third - for candidates for deputies of the district or city maslikhats," Turgankulov said at a briefing in the central communications service.

According to him, extraordinary elections of deputies of the Mazhilis of the Parliament, elected by the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan, will be held on March 21, 2016.

"The combination of elections of deputies of the Mazhilis and Maslikhats in the current economic conditions is an objectively justified decision, allowing for significant savings in funds allocated for election campaigns," Turgankulov explained.