CEC calls social media users to observe election legislation

“As per Kazakhstan’s current legislation, all Internet resources are considered as mass media. Social media are also Internet resources and from the viewpoint of our legislation, they should be regarded as mass media,” Suleimen noted.

Alongside, she added that Kazakhstani segment of social media enable the country’s residents to exercise their constitutional right to get and disseminate information including elections-related one.

“According to the Law “On Elections”, all the residents, public associations who do not establish any election funds, are entitled to conduct a pre-election agitation which does not require any financing. Thus, the use of social media in electoral process is possible, provided that it does not violate the election legislation. We call the users of social media to observe the norms of election legislation. The CEC together with all the participants of the election process – parties, candidates, mass media, Prosecutor General’s Office and authorized structures in the field of information – will search for a flexible and an immediate response to eliminate any violation of law during the agitation period,” stressed Suleimen.