On November 13, 2025, Nurgul Bakirova, Deputy Chairperson of the Supreme Court of the Kyrgyz Republic, held a meeting with a delegation from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) of the OSCE. Information about this was published by the court's press service.
The delegation included legal analyst Zeliha Aydin, her assistant Mirgul Mamataliyeva, Chairperson of the Bishkek Administrative Court Azis Eshaliev, Head of the Department for Supporting the Activities of Judges on Administrative Cases of the Supreme Court Aikokul Maatova, and Senior Referent for Public Relations and International Relations Dair Abdullayev.
The purpose of the representatives' visit was to monitor the upcoming elections to the Jogorku Kenesh.
In her speech, Nurgul Bakirova emphasized that elections in democratic countries are an important indicator of the legitimacy of power and the main institution that allows citizens to freely express their will. She highlighted that legality, transparency, and fairness of the electoral process are the cornerstones of democracy, and courts play a key role in ensuring them.
"Courts must be independent, impartial, and highly qualified to effectively perform their functions during elections. This implies the absence of influence from political parties, candidates, and other branches of power, as well as deep knowledge of electoral legislation," she added.
According to the current electoral legislation, the deadlines for electoral actions are reduced by one third in the case of extraordinary elections. This means that cases related to electoral disputes must be considered in an expedited manner: in first-instance courts — within two days instead of three, in the cassation instance — within three days instead of five.
Although the Administrative Procedural Code does not provide for shortened deadlines for considering electoral disputes, courts still accept such cases for expedited consideration, relying on the priority of constitutional law.
In particular, Article 20 of the mentioned code requires that applications submitted in the run-up to elections be considered by first-instance courts no later than one day before voting.
The cassation court must process incoming cases within five days, and applications submitted on the day of voting or the next day are subject to immediate consideration.
The deadlines for submitting applications cannot be restored, which emphasizes the need for prompt protection of electoral rights within the legally established timeframes," noted Nurgul Bakirova.
At the end of the meeting, issues concerning the role of the judiciary in ensuring the legality of the electoral process and the development of legal practice in accordance with international standards were discussed, and both parties expressed their readiness for further cooperation.
