Ahead of every election in Kazakhstan, there are reports in the online space about pressure being applied to voters. Typically, this involves employees of public institutions and students: employers and school administrators, under the threat of dismissal, expulsion, or eviction from dormitories, compel them to go to the polls and vote for a specific candidate.

Lawyer Nazerkе Rizabekova explains how to act in such situations.

“If citizens are pressured to go to the polls or not vote, to vote for a specific candidate, to provide photographic evidence of their ballot indicating their choice, or to submit a list of family members who voted along with their selections—this is a violation of the right to voluntary participation in elections and an obstacle to the free exercise of voting rights,” says the lawyer.

This is stated in paragraph 3 of Article 3 of the Law “On Elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan” and Article 150 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

What to do?

“First and foremost, try to document the violations using audio, photo, and video evidence,” advises Nazerkе Rizabek. “If that is not possible, gather with colleagues or fellow students to draft a collective report about the infringement of your voting rights. With this documentation, you can sequentially or simultaneously file a complaint with your organization’s leadership, the Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan, or the police.”

You can submit your complaint to government authorities using your electronic digital signature (EDS) through the “Electronic Appeals” section on the egov.kz portal, or in paper form. Remember, your complaint must be registered and assigned a number.

You can find a template for a police report here.

Feel free to contact the LMI hotline at +7-777-669-65-00: call or send text messages via WhatsApp. We offer free consultations and legal assistance.