Diplomats, experts and media in North America discussed Kazakhstan's electoral preparations

Nur-Sultan, January 8, 2021 - A series of briefings on the upcoming elections of MPs of the Mazhilis (lower house of parliament) scheduled for January 10 was conducted by the Embassies of Kazakhstan in the countries of North America.

Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the United States Erzhan Kazykhanov held an online briefing for members of the Congress. The participants of the event were informed about the implementation of reforms aimed at further improving democratic institutions and procedures in Kazakhstan, as well as about the details of the electoral process.

The diplomat, briefing on the current electoral campaign, spoke in detail about the main stages of electoral preparations, electoral legislation of Kazakhstan, participating political parties, as well as registration of international observers and foreign media.

Given the current pandemic, Erzhan Kazykhanov noted the additional measures taken by the state to ensure the safety of all participants of the election process.

The Ambassador stressed that Kazakhstan has taken measures to further strengthen democratic institutions and civil society in accordance with international standards. In particular, the threshold for the registration of political parties has been halved and a mechanism has been introduced to guarantee a significant representation of women and young people in the lists of candidates.

"Free and fair elections are the fundamental principle of the organization of state power in Kazakhstan, enshrined in the Constitution of our country," the Ambassador said.

Following the briefing, Mr. Kazykhanov answered questions regarding the amendments to the legislation, the activities of political parties and the measures taken by the state to maintain a stable epidemiological situation.

The online briefing of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Canada was attended by representatives of scientific and civil community of Canada, journalists, Kazakh students, citizens of Kazakhstan in Canada, as well as representatives of the Kazakh diaspora.

During the event, they were briefed on the specificities of the current electoral process and the amendments introduced to the electoral legislation as part of the ongoing political modernization in our country. Along with that, particular attention was paid to the conditions of the organization of the current elections, as well as to the accredited international observers.

The participants expressed considerable interest in the procedure for organizing out-of-country voting. The Embassy provided full information on the date, time and procedure of voting in the elections for Kazakh citizens in Canada. Due to the strict quarantine in the country, the Embassy has taken all measures to ensure a safe voting process at the voters' locations and implemented all the recommendations of the health authorities of the two states.