Instructions: How to Vote in Mazhilis and Maslikhats Elections
March 3, 2023
On March 19, Kazakhstan will hold elections to the Mazhilis and Maslikhats. For the first time in 19 years, deputies will be elected under a mixed system - now Kazakhstanis can vote not only for party candidates, but also for independent candidates.
We have prepared instructions on how to find your district and polling station in Almaty and the capital, as well as lists of party and independent candidates throughout the country.
What is the Mazhilis
The lower house of Parliament, consisting of 98 deputies. 69 seats are held by party deputies and the remaining 29 are elected in single-mandate constituencies from self-nominated candidates. Members of the Mazhilis have a five-year term of office.
What is a Maslikhat
A local representative body with deputies elected by the population of this area (regions, the capital and cities of republican significance). The number of deputies of one maslikhat depends on the population of the area where they are elected. Their term of office is five years. Half of the candidates will be self-nominated, and half will be party nominees. The regional maslikhats will be comprised of 100% self-nominated candidates.
How the elections will be held
A candidate must receive a majority of votes to win. Results will be known the day after the elections. Mazhilis and maslikhat elections will be held simultaneously at polling stations.
Voters in Almaty, Astana and Shymkent will each receive four ballots: two for the Mazhilis election and two for the Maslikhat election, as these cities have only city Maslikhats, but no district ones.
In all other places there will be five ballots, as the residents will also have to choose deputies of rayon and city maslikhats, where voting will take place in single-member districts.
Ballot papers for both maslikhats and mazhilis elections will have a column "Against all".
How to vote
First you need to know your polling station, to which you are attached to the address of residence registration.
For Almaty they have created a bot that finds your polling station by IIN. If you have any questions you can call the call center at 1315.
For Astana there is a web service to find a polling station.
Beginning March 4, voters will be able to obtain an Absentee Voter Certificate - this allows them to vote in other cities and districts if they cannot be in the precinct in their place of residence on Election Day. But only party candidates can vote by absentee certificate.
Then you need to find out in which constituency you will vote, and based on that seek out the lists of candidates in these constituencies, and then come to your precinct on Election Day and vote. A district consists of many precincts.
For Almaty, activists Botha Sharipzhan and Akmaral Dzhakibaeva created a single document. It has precincts and districts by city districts for the Mazhilis and Maslikhat, as well as lists of all the candidates.
For Astana also created a single document with the candidates for the Mazhilis and Maslikhat. There is also a list with territorial boundaries of districts.
How to vote in other cities
In 2021, Informburo published a list of resources for finding a polling station for Mazhilis and Maslikhat elections in other oblasts. You can also find out the precinct on the website of your akimat by address or IIN. And you can find out the district and ask other questions by calling 109.
Arman Bektursynov, who created a map of districts for Almaty, told the online edition of Voicematters.kz how residents of other regions can create the same map in their area.
The website of the Central Electoral Commission has a page with all the candidates for the Mazhilis - party and self-nominated - for all the cities and regions.
As for the candidates for Maslikhats, there is no centralized list by districts in all regions. For Shymkent we published a list of constituencies and self-nominees. In the future, lists of independent candidates and districts should appear on the websites of regional akimats, as in the examples of Almaty and the capital. These lists are also often published by regional and city publications.
The situation is easier with party candidates: the lists are on the official SailauNews website.
We have prepared instructions on how to find your district and polling station in Almaty and the capital, as well as lists of party and independent candidates throughout the country.
What is the Mazhilis
The lower house of Parliament, consisting of 98 deputies. 69 seats are held by party deputies and the remaining 29 are elected in single-mandate constituencies from self-nominated candidates. Members of the Mazhilis have a five-year term of office.
What is a Maslikhat
A local representative body with deputies elected by the population of this area (regions, the capital and cities of republican significance). The number of deputies of one maslikhat depends on the population of the area where they are elected. Their term of office is five years. Half of the candidates will be self-nominated, and half will be party nominees. The regional maslikhats will be comprised of 100% self-nominated candidates.
How the elections will be held
A candidate must receive a majority of votes to win. Results will be known the day after the elections. Mazhilis and maslikhat elections will be held simultaneously at polling stations.
Voters in Almaty, Astana and Shymkent will each receive four ballots: two for the Mazhilis election and two for the Maslikhat election, as these cities have only city Maslikhats, but no district ones.
In all other places there will be five ballots, as the residents will also have to choose deputies of rayon and city maslikhats, where voting will take place in single-member districts.
Ballot papers for both maslikhats and mazhilis elections will have a column "Against all".
How to vote
First you need to know your polling station, to which you are attached to the address of residence registration.
For Almaty they have created a bot that finds your polling station by IIN. If you have any questions you can call the call center at 1315.
For Astana there is a web service to find a polling station.
Beginning March 4, voters will be able to obtain an Absentee Voter Certificate - this allows them to vote in other cities and districts if they cannot be in the precinct in their place of residence on Election Day. But only party candidates can vote by absentee certificate.
Then you need to find out in which constituency you will vote, and based on that seek out the lists of candidates in these constituencies, and then come to your precinct on Election Day and vote. A district consists of many precincts.
For Almaty, activists Botha Sharipzhan and Akmaral Dzhakibaeva created a single document. It has precincts and districts by city districts for the Mazhilis and Maslikhat, as well as lists of all the candidates.
For Astana also created a single document with the candidates for the Mazhilis and Maslikhat. There is also a list with territorial boundaries of districts.
How to vote in other cities
In 2021, Informburo published a list of resources for finding a polling station for Mazhilis and Maslikhat elections in other oblasts. You can also find out the precinct on the website of your akimat by address or IIN. And you can find out the district and ask other questions by calling 109.
Arman Bektursynov, who created a map of districts for Almaty, told the online edition of Voicematters.kz how residents of other regions can create the same map in their area.
The website of the Central Electoral Commission has a page with all the candidates for the Mazhilis - party and self-nominated - for all the cities and regions.
As for the candidates for Maslikhats, there is no centralized list by districts in all regions. For Shymkent we published a list of constituencies and self-nominees. In the future, lists of independent candidates and districts should appear on the websites of regional akimats, as in the examples of Almaty and the capital. These lists are also often published by regional and city publications.
The situation is easier with party candidates: the lists are on the official SailauNews website.
Source: www.the-village-kz.com
