A WEB

On May 14, 2025, in the city of Turkistan, the Regulation on the Advisory Platform of the Central Election Authorities (APCEA) of the member states of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) was signed.

The event was attended by the heads of the central election authorities of the OTS member states – Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, and the OTS observer state – Hungary, as well as by four reputable international organizations – the OTS, the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB), the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA), the Turkic Academy, scholars from the OTS countries, Members of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, members of the Expert Council under the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Kazakhstan, and chairpersons of the territorial election commissions of the regions, and the cities of Astana, Almaty, and Shymkent.

The creation of the Advisory Platform of the Central Election Authorities of the member states of the Organization of Turkic States was initiated by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan K.K. Tokayev at the 10th Anniversary Summit of the OTS, held on November 3, 2023, in Astana.

The decision to establish the Advisory Platform of the Central Election Authorities of the OTS member states was unanimously supported by the leaders of all Turkic states and was recorded in the Bishkek Declaration of the 11th OTS Summit, signed on November 6, 2024.

At the signing ceremony of the Regulation of the OTS APCEA, the Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Kazakhstan, Nurlan Abdirov, read out a welcoming letter from the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to the participants of the event.

The President of Kazakhstan expressed gratitude to his colleagues from the brotherly countries for supporting the proposal to establish the Advisory Platform, which was initiated at the 10th OTS Summit, and expressed confidence that the initiative would contribute to the development of the electoral systems of the member states of the Organization.

"It is symbolic that the signing of the regulation of the Advisory Platform takes place in Turkistan – the spiritual capital of the Turkic world. Considering the importance of the issues, I support the holding of the conference ‘The Turkic World: Traditions, Practice, and Prospects for the Development of Electoral Systems.’ These events will undoubtedly further deepen cooperation between the brotherly countries with common historical roots," emphasized the Head of State in his welcoming address and wished fruitful work to the Advisory Platform.

Welcoming letters were also sent by the Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Maulen Ashimbayev, and the Chairman of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Yerlan Koshanov.

During the event, the head of the CEC of Kazakhstan noted that, according to open sources, as of today, there are 96.5 million voters in all OTS member states, and 15 elections of various levels have taken place in these states over the past two years. He also emphasized that “today we have gathered in the spiritual capital of the entire Turkic people – Turkistan – to sign the Regulation on the Advisory Platform of the Central Election Authorities of the OTS member states. The creation of a dialogue platform in such an important political area will contribute to enhancing the quality, efficiency, and inclusiveness of electoral processes in the OTS member states.”

The event featured speeches by the heads of the central election authorities of the OTS member states – Mazahir Panahov of Azerbaijan, Tynchtyk Shainazarov of Kyrgyzstan, Ahmet Yener of Türkiye, Zayniddin Nizamkhodjaev of Uzbekistan, and a welcoming letter was read from Attila Nagy, Head of the National Election Office of Hungary. Also speaking were Secretary General of the OTS Kubanychbek Omuraliev, Secretary General of the Association of World Election Bodies (A-WEB) In-sik Zhang, Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA) Mehmet Sureyya Er, and Vice President of the Turkic Academy Askhat Kesikbayev.

The Regulation on the APCEA, signed by the heads of the central election authorities of the OTS member states, provides that systematic cooperation between the CEAs of the OTS member states will contribute to strengthening mutual understanding and improving the effectiveness of electoral processes, and encourages OTS member states to develop multilateral cooperation and coordination through the organization of OTS international observer missions for elections and referenda in member states. Members of the OTS APCEA also resolved the following:

- to establish a platform for dialogue, exchange of information, experience, and best practices in the field of electoral procedures;
- to promote the development of cooperation between the electoral authorities of the member states;
- to implement innovative approaches and technologies in electoral processes;
- to coordinate the activities of the CEAs of the OTS member states in conducting electoral events;
- to facilitate the exchange of experts and educational-methodological materials among election authorities;
- to participate in election observation in order to study the experiences of other countries and develop the electoral system, among other objectives.

On the sidelines of the event, bilateral meetings were held between the Chairman of the CEC of Kazakhstan and his counterparts from Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, Uzbekistan, and Hungary, as well as with the heads of the OTS, A-WEB, and TURKPA. The meetings discussed issues of mutual cooperation and exchange of experience in the organization of electoral campaigns. The parties reaffirmed the importance of developing international electoral cooperation and expressed confidence that the creation of a common platform for regular consultations and cooperation among the central election authorities of the OTS member states will contribute to the development of electoral processes.