NUR-SULTAN – The Central Referendum Commission (CRC) has accredited 105 observers from various international organizations as of May 25, said CRC Chairman Nurlan Abdirov during a briefing with foreign diplomats.
CRC Chairman Nurlan Abdirov and Tamaś Meszerics, Head of the OSCE/ODIHR Referendum Assessment Mission. Photo credit: gov.kz
They include 10 observers from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) Referendum Assessment Mission, 43 observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) Observer Mission, and 13 independent observers from Armenia, France, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Palestine, Russia, Tajikistan, Thailand, and Turkey.
The accreditation of international observers will end on May 30.
Head of the OSCE/ODIHR Referendum Assessment Mission Tamaś Meszerics arrived in Nur-Sultan on May 25 to meet with Kazakh officials to discuss the results and plans in preparation for the June 5 national referendum on constitutional amendments.
Abdirov met with Meszerics to brief the members of the mission on the main stages of preparation for the referendum. Both sides agreed to maintain cooperation throughout the referendum observation period.
During the meeting with Deputy Foreign Minister Roman Vassilenko, Meszerics said the key task of the mission is to evaluate the preparation for and the conduct of the referendum.
The format for monitoring the referendum was determined by the ODIHR Needs Assessment Mission, which arrived in Kazakhstan earlier this month.
Vassilenko said that the state agencies are well-prepared to hold the referendum and will continue providing support for the mission.
The OSCE/ODIHR is an organization that provides support, assistance and expertise to participating states and civil society to promote democracy, rule of law, human rights and tolerance, and non-discrimination. The functions of the organization include observing elections, review of legislation and advising governments on how to develop and sustain democratic institutions.
