Kyrgyzstan’s parliament, the Jogorku Kenesh, on September 24 approved a resolution scheduling the country’s next presidential election for the fourth Wednesday of January in the year the incumbent’s term expires — that is, January 27, 2027. The decision was announced by the parliament’s press service. The resolution, “On scheduling the election of the President of the Kyrgyz Republic,” was reviewed and adopted at today’s session.

The report on the matter was presented by Gulnara Akimbaeva, chair of the Jogorku Kenesh committee on constitutional legislation, state structure, local self-government and regulations. Along with the election date, lawmakers approved several innovations for the upcoming campaign. Under the new rules, a person with a expunged criminal record or whose criminal case was closed without acquittal can no longer become president. Previously, a candidate was required to have no criminal record, but if a conviction had been expunged, they could still run.

In addition, for the first time voting will be held on a working day rather than a weekend, as was previously the case. Commenting on the decision, Jogorku Kenesh Speaker Marlen Mamataliev said: “We decided to hold the presidential election on a weekday. In particular, January 27 will be a Wednesday, in order to increase voter turnout. The more people at the polling stations, the higher the transparency, the more opportunities to block corruption schemes and the fewer chances for voter bribery. We are successfully fighting this, including through such methods.”

The changes to Kyrgyzstan’s electoral legislation are thus aimed at enhancing the transparency of the election process and more clearly regulating citizens’ voting rights. The presidential election is set for January 27, 2027, and this decision has been officially confirmed by parliament.

Source: podrobno.uz