Around 100 CIS observers to monitor Constitutional Referendum in Kazakhstan
Around 100 observers from the CIS will monitor the Constitutional Referendum in Kazakhstan on March 15, Qazinform News Agency quotes Yevgeny Kozyak, head of the CIS Observers Mission Headquarters, as saying.
“Our meeting with the Chairman of the Central Referendum Commission, Nurlan Abdirov, where we had been accredited as international observers, completed. The Mission has proceeded to monitoring the Constitutional Referendum,” he said at a briefing.
According to him, this is the CIS Mission's 19th visit to Kazakhstan, and its 133rd mission since 2001, when, by decision of the CIS Council of Heads of State, the organization began monitoring election campaigns in the Commonwealth space.
The Mission is expected to include approximately 100 international observers. Long-term observers have already begun their work, with the mission headquarters located in Astana. Short-term observers will arrive closer to the Referendum date.
The Mission will be led by Igor Petrishenko, First Deputy Secretary General of the CIS. His candidacy was approved by the Council of Permanent Plenipotentiary Representatives of the CIS Member States to the Statutory and other CIS structures.
As Yevgeny Kozyak noted, the Mission will traditionally be guided by the principles of independence and non-interference in the internal affairs of the state.
"Our monitoring is always unbiased. We are open to communication with the media and are ready to answer any questions about our activities," he emphasized.
Earlier, Qazinform reported that Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev received the Chairman of the Central Referendum Commission, Nurlan Abdirov. The President emphasized the need to ensure openness, legality, and equal conditions for all citizens during the referendum.