Observers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) have been invited to the Kurultai elections in Kazakhstan. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Sputnik Kazakhstan.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) of the Republic of Kazakhstan has started the accreditation procedure for international observers. According to CEC Chairman Nurlan Abdirov, official invitations have been sent to the organizations. The elections are scheduled for September 15, 2026.
The Kurultai is a new constitutional body in Kazakhstan, designed to determine the country's development strategy. To participate in the elections, parties and public associations must register. According to the CEC, 7 parties and 12 public associations have submitted applications.
The Secretariat of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly has expressed readiness to send a group of observers. The CIS Parliamentary Assembly also confirmed that it will provide its observers. The observers will monitor the transparency and legality of the electoral process.
Kazakhstan has previously invited international observers to elections. The 2023 parliamentary elections saw about 400 observers from 10 international organizations. This year, the number of foreign observers for the Kurultai elections may increase.
The CEC chairman outlined the main stages of the election campaign: campaigning will begin on July 15 and end on September 14. Voting day is September 15. Early voting will take place from September 5 to 14.
As part of the preparations for the Kurultai elections, the CEC plans to open more than 10,000 polling stations, including 65 abroad. The voter list includes over 12 million people.
The participation of CSTO and CIS observers is expected to ensure that the elections meet international standards. The observers will publish their reports after the elections.