The Prosecutor General's Office has issued an appeal to the public regarding the upcoming Kurultai elections. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
Currently, parties are nominating their candidates. Registration of their lists will continue until July 23. Pre-election campaigning will begin only at 18:01 on that day. "In this regard, any pre-election campaigning is not allowed until the deadline for registration of party lists expires. Violation of this requirement entails liability under Article 102 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Republic of Kazakhstan," prosecutors said. The fine ranges from 20 to 50 MCI (86,500 to 216,250 tenge).
The law prohibits improper pre-election campaigning. "Such campaigning includes free or discounted transfer of goods, securities, provision of services, lotteries, charity events, payment of money, or promises thereof to voters," the official statement said. Improper campaigning is punishable by a fine of 20 to 30 MCI (86,500 to 129,750 tenge). If signs of bribery are present, a criminal case is initiated.
From the moment elections are called, candidates, political parties that have submitted party lists, as well as any individuals and legal entities acting on their behalf or in their support, are prohibited from conducting charity events, except for entertainment and sports events. "Violation of the above requirements by a candidate, a political party that submitted a party list, or their authorized representatives entails the cancellation of the decision to register the candidate or party list," said prosecution experts. Publishing campaign materials or other information that knowingly damages the honor, dignity, or business reputation of a candidate or political party is subject to criminal liability.
Prosecutors advise paying special attention to the procedure for conducting public opinion polls and publishing their results. When publishing the results of a public opinion poll, the following information must be indicated: the legal entity that conducted the poll; the persons who ordered and paid for the poll; the time of the poll; the method of data collection; the exact wording of the question; the number of respondents; the margin of error. "Public opinion polls may be conducted by legal entities registered in accordance with the legislation of Kazakhstan, with at least five years of experience in conducting public opinion polls, and having notified the Central Election Commission in writing in advance," the Prosecutor General's Office's appeal stated.
Results of public opinion polls and forecasts of voting in support of candidates or political parties may not be published in the media or on online platforms during the five days preceding voting day and on voting day itself. On election day, conducting public opinion polls in voting premises or stations is prohibited. Moreover, conducting public opinion polls by individuals and publishing their results is strictly prohibited. Violation of these requirements also entails a fine.