Head of the EU Delegation met with Chair of Kazakh Central Election Commission in Astana

The perspectives for further cooperation between the CEC and the EU in the field of developing and improving the election law, the democratisation of the election process in the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as the implementation of the joint project of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe "Support for the Election Process in Kazakhstan", were discussed in the course of the meeting.

Mr Kuandyk Turgankulov noted that "the European Union is doing a lot for democratisation and development of the election process in Kazakhstan", the press service of the EU Delegation to Kazakhstan said.

Mrs Bouchez, from the other side, also noted the positive trends in the development of the relations between the European Union and the Central Election Commission. "The EU-funded project implemented by Venice Commission aims to assist the Central Election Commission in further reforming of the election law and its effective implementation, in accordance with international standards.  We hope that the project will substantially contribute to the democratisation process of the country in line with the commitments taken by the Kazakhstani authorities, "- she said.

The project also focuses on the development of institutional capacities of the CEC, at national and local levels, on the involvement of the key election process participants, such as judges and political parties, in the trainings on best practices and international standards. The EU contributed EUR 500,000 to support the project.

At the end of the meeting, the parties expressed their assurance that the existing relations of partnership and cooperation will be maintained and further developed in the future. "We hope for fruitful cooperation between the Central Election Commission and the Republic of Kazakhstan and the European Union on the issues of election both in the current year and in the future," concluded the Head of the Central Election Commission.