OSCE PA Deputy Chairman and Special Coordinator of OSCE Observation Mission, Azay Guliyev held a press conference on presidential elections in Kyrgyzstan.
"I led almost 400 short-term observers who deployed around the country, including strong delegations from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the European Parliament. Together we have agreed on the following statement of preliminary findings and conclusions on the presidential election, which took place yesterday here, in Kyrgyzstan," Azay Guliyev noted.
"The 15 October presidential election in the Kyrgyz Republic contributed to the strengthening of democratic institutions by providing for an orderly transfer of power from one elected president to another. The election was competitive, as voters had a wide choice and candidates could in general campaign freely, although cases of misuse of public resources, pressure on voters and vote buying remain a concern," he added.
Special Coordinator noted, voting was orderly and well organized in the large majority of polling stations observed, despite problems with ballot secrecy. Numerous and significant procedural problems were noted during the vote count and the initial stages of tabulation.The legal framework, which underwent numerous amendments in 2017, in general adequately regulates many technical aspects of the electoral process. However, some aspects of legal provisions, including campaigning and campaign financing, citizen observation and complaints, are not comprehensive and lack clarity.
"National minorities were involved in the election campaign and although candidates competed for the minority vote, contestants’ platforms did not specifically address the situation of national minorities or their integration into society. While we did not observe any anti-minority rhetoric during the campaign, inter-ethnic issues were at times utilized for political ends," he noted speaking on the participation of national minorities in the election campaign.
OSCE PA Deputy Chairman also expressed his gratitude to the OSCE PA, PACE, the European Parliament, and of course ODIHR for working fruitfully and expressing our opinion in one voice.
