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ELECTION OBSERVATION DELEGATION to the PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS in KYRGYZSTAN (4 October 2015) Report by Ryszard Czarnecki, Chair

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ELECTION OBSERVATION DELEGATION to the PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS in KYRGYZSTAN (4 October 2015) Report by Ryszard Czarnecki, Chair ELECTION OBSERVATION DELEGATION TO THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN KYRGYZSTAN (4 October 2015) Report by Ryszard Czarnecki, Chair of the Delegation Annexes: A. Final programme (including list of participants) B. Statement of the Chair of the EP Delegation at the press conference C. IEOM Joint Press Statement D. IEOM Preliminary Findings and Conclusions Introduction Following an invitation sent by the President of the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic, the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament authorised, on 10 September 2015, the sending of an Election Observation Delegation to observe the parliamentary elections in Kyrgyzstan scheduled for 4 October 2015. The European Parliament Election Observation Delegation was composed of six Members: Mr Ryszard Czarnecki (ECR, Poland), Mr Joachim Zeller (EPP, Germany), Mr Juan Fernando Lopez Aguilar (S&D, Spain), Ms Marietje Schaake (ALDE, Netherlands), Ms Tatjana Zdanoka (Greens/EFA, Latvia) and Mr Ignazio Corrao (EFDD, Italy). Mr Ryszard Czarnecki was elected Chair of the Delegation at the constituent meeting on 22 September 2015. The European Parliament Delegation performed the election observation in accordance with the Declaration of Principles of International Election Observation and the Code of Conduct for international election observers. It followed the OSCE/ODIHR's methodology in the evaluation procedure and assessed the election for its compliance with OSCE commitments for democratic elections. Members of the EP Delegation signed the Code of Conduct for Members of the European Parliament Election Observation Delegations, in conformity with the decision of the Conference of Presidents of 13 September 2012. Programme As is usual in the OSCE area, the Delegation was integrated within the framework of the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission. It conducted its activities in Kyrgyzstan from 2 October to 5 October 2015. The EP Delegation cooperated closely with the OSCE/PA Delegation headed by Ms Ivana Dobesova (Czech Republic), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe headed by Ms Meritxell Mateu Pi (Andorra), the OSCE/ODIHR mission headed by Mr Boris Friec and the short term OSCE observer mission headed by the Special Coordinator Ignacio Sanchez Amor (Spain). Before Election Day, the parliamentary delegations were extensively briefed by experts from the OSCE/ODIHR mission. Presentations were made on the political environment, the campaign activities, the media landscape and the legal framework of the presidential elections. The joint programme also included a series of meetings with media representatives, with NGOs, with the electoral administration and with representatives of political parties. The EP Delegation had an additional programme that was organised with the help of the EU Delegation in Kyrgyzstan. This included a briefing session with Head of the EU Delegation and the Ambassadors of France, Germany and the United Kingdom. The Delegation also met the Prime Minister, Mr Temir Saryev, the Foreign Policy Adviser to the President, Mr Sapar Isakov, and the Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Askar Beshimov. Background The previous parliamentary elections had taken place on 30 October 2010 following the adoption of a new Constitution in a referendum on 27 June 2010. The referendum took place in the wake of the overthrow of President Bakiev by popular demonstrations in April 2010 and violent clashes between ethnic Uzbeks and ethnic Kyrgyz in May/June 2010. A coalition government was formed following the parliamentary elections in October 2010, which was made up of three of the five parties that had gained seats in Parliament - the SDPK (Social Democratic Party of Kyrgyzstan), Ar-Namys and Ata-Meken. Two parties were in opposition - Ata-Yurt and Respublika. Presidential elections took place in 2011 at which President Almazbek Atambayev was elected for a six-year mandate. The European Parliament sent observation missions to both of these elections and was broadly positive about the conduct of the contests. The 2015 legislative elections were the first to be held under the 2011 election law which was amended earlier in 2015. The OSCE/ODIHR concluded that this new electoral framework generally provided an adequate basis for holding democratic elections; although there were some inconsistencies between various laws and a need for better guidance and a more uniform application of the rules. Moreover, transparency would have been increased by regular publication of the detailed reports on campaign financing that parties were required to submit to the CEC. The election administration was made up by the Central Election Commission for Elections and Referenda (CEC), 54 territorial election commissions (TECs) and 2,374 precinct election commissions (PECs). The PECs were assisted the polling stations by officials of the State Registration Service. The OSCE/ODIHR mission commended the CEC for holding sessions that were open to party representatives, media and local and international observers. However it criticised the holding of informal "working meetings" and the lack of up-to-date and complete information on its website. Moreover, it reported, CEC decisions were not always firmly based on the legal framework and on some occasions directly contradicted the law. At territorial and precinct level the OSCE/ODIHR reported a general level of trust in the work of the commissions. A system of biometric registration and identification, based on a unified nationwide population register, was introduced for the elections in an attempt to improve the quality of the voter lists, prevent fraud and increase voters' trust in the process. In the absence of sufficient information about the change, a substantial number of citizens were worried about data protection issues and did not submit their biometric data. This led to significant concerns about the inclusiveness of the voter lists. 14 political parties contested the elections, having submitted the required documents and paid the electoral deposit which was increased considerably for these elections as compared to the previous ones. OSCE/ODIHR reported that the quotas to ensure representation on party lists for women, ethnic minorities, young people and those with disabilities were respected at the time of registration. However, the lack of provisions to maintain these quotas after registration undermined their effectiveness. During the campaign contestants were able to participate in media debates broadcast live on national TV, a welcome novelty for this vote and a first in the region. However almost all media coverage consisted of paid-for reports and there was unsufficient news coverage and independent reporting. As a result, voters received only a limited amount of impartial information. Election Day On Election Day, the EP Delegation was deployed in Bishkek (one member), two members went to the region of Kara Balta, some 90 minutes' drive from Bishkek, while three members went to the region of Balkychy, some three hours' drive from Bishkek. The three teams visited a significant number of polling stations and observed opening procedures, voting, closing procedures and counting process. The EP Delegation members were particularly impressed at the commitment to the democratic process shown by those voting. These citizens wanted their vote to count and to play a role in building a better country. The Delegation commended the peaceful atmosphere in which the elections took place and made an overall positive assessment of the work of the polling stations that were visited. They noted that the biometric identification equipment and ballot scanners generally worked well, although there were occasional disruptions to the process because of technical problems. They were also impressed by the significant role played by women in the administration of the elections. Nevertheless they noted the relatively low turnout in the polling stations visited (the final national figure was 1,561,456 or 57.56% of the citizens who had registered their biometric information). Other points of concern raised were the presence of police or other uniformed officials in or near the polling stations and a number of inconsistencies in the practices followed by the polling stations such as the differing rules for the staff of political parties (e.g. some were required to be present throughout the day and some absented themselves). Press conference and preliminary conclusions In line with normal practice the draft statement of preliminary findings and conclusions was negotiated between the OSCE/ODIHR mission and the three parliamentary delegations. The parliamentary delegations had a broadly positive impression of the Election Day; however the OSCE/ODIHR assessment of the overall electoral process was more critical. The press conference took place on 5 October attracted a lot of media attention. The joint statement stressed that the parliamentary elections were "competitive and provided voters with a wide range of choice, while the manner in which they were administered highlighted the need for better procedures and increased transparency". The Head of the EP Delegation in his statement stressed that substantial progress had been achieved in Kyrgyzstan in recent years and he welcomed "the healthy pluralism...the genuine contest and the peaceful electoral campaign". MEPs also underlined that the significance of holding democratic elections extended beyond the borders of Kyrgyzstan and sent out a strong message to other countries in Central Asia
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