International observation missions find no violations during referendum

A nationwide referendum on amendments to the Constitution was held in Kazakhstan transparently, openly, democratically and without violations, said Secretary-General of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Zhang Ming at a briefing in Nur-Sultan. According to him, in general, the entire voting process was in accordance with the norms of electoral legislation and the international obligations adopted by the country. A total of 17 SCO observers were accredited.

“The mission did not record any violations of national legislation that cast doubt on the legitimacy of the referendum. The mission recognizes the past referendum as open, transparent and democratic. We express our gratitude to the Kazakh Foreign Ministry and the Central Referendum Commission for holding this event at a high level,” said Zhang Ming.

The CICA representatives also say that the popular vote was held without significant violations and that there was a stable situation in the polling stations. They note that this referendum is considered valid because the mandatory turnout threshold of 50 percent was exceeded. The referendum process in Kazakhstan was monitored by 272 foreign observers. They represented 25 countries and 11 international organizations.

“In general, everything was well organized and everything was clear. First of all, I would like to note how well the information was communicated. Information was available through all communication channels. This includes television, the Internet, and print media. And, of course, I also want to mention the polling stations. Everything was organized quite successfully,” noted Arkady Kosheyev, Senior Specialist of the CICA Secretariat.

 

Translation by Assem Zhanmukhanova

Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova