Open elections are an important tool of democracy

Sofia, 24 March 2023 – Today, in the capital of Bulgaria, Kazakhstan`s Ambassador Viktor Temirbayev held a briefing in a hybrid format for media representatives on the results of the early elections of deputies of the lower house of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan – the Mazhilis – and local representative bodies – Maslikhats of all levels. The briefing was attended by about 80 representatives of the Bulgarian media, including 72 journalists who joined the online broadcast.

In addition to the detailed coverage of the election results, the participants of this event were informed about the particularities of the electoral process and the changes made to the electoral legislation as part of the political modernization of states institutions in our country. Special attention was also paid to the conditions of the organization of elections, foreign media and international observers accredited at the elections.

Informing about measures to further strengthen democratic institutions and civil society in Kazakhstan, Ambassador Viktor Temirbayev noted a number of unique aspects related to the preparation and conduct of elections. In particular, the reduction of the registration threshold for political parties by 4 times and the threshold level for their passage to Parliament to 5%, a significant (at least 30%) representation of women, youth and persons with special needs in the list of candidates, the return of the «against all» column to the ballots – a key innovation that was already in effect at the presidential elections which were held in November 2022 and etc.

In turn, the briefing participants expressed considerable interest in the results of the early parliamentary elections, noting that it reflects the real desire of Kazakhstan to move exclusively along the democratic path of development. According to them, it`s gratifying to see the progress of our country, which is of great importance for improving the standard of citizen`s living, and the broad participation of international observers and foreign media is another clear evidence of the democratic and transparent electoral process.

In this context, taking this opportunity, a journalist of one of the largest Bulgarian online news publications «FAKTI.BG» Milena Simidchiyeva, who was part of the foreign journalists participating in the press tour at the elections, shared her impressions of the trip to Kazakhstan. According to her estimates, the role of the media in covering the election campaign on the basis of such democratic principles as openness, publicity and transparency was noticeably strengthened during the elections.

Following the briefing, Ambassador Viktor Temirbayev answered all the questions of Bulgarian journalists and provided comprehensive information with exact facts and figures.

Recall that the Mazhilis of the Parliament consists of 98 deputies: 69 or 70% of them are elected proportionally according to party lists, and the remaining 29 or 30% – according to the majority principle in single-mandate districts. At the same time, elections to Maslikhats of districts and cities of republican significance are held according to a mixed electoral system with a 50-50 ratio, and lower–level Maslikhats are held entirely on a majority basis. The term of office of the deputies of the Mazhilis and Maslikhats is 5 years.