Deputy Marlen Mamataliyev from district No. 23 initiated changes in the legislation regarding elections.
According to the deputy, as of November 2024, there are about 4.2 million registered voters in the country; however, citizen participation in voting remains at a low level. At the same time, the state spends significant amounts on organizing elections, which highlights the problem of low turnout. The Constitution of Kyrgyzstan guarantees the right to participate in elections but does not make it mandatory, creating the need for effective measures to engage citizens.
Analyzing voter turnout in elections over the past 15 years, the following trends can be observed:
Presidential elections: 2011 – 61.3%, 2017 – 56.1%, 2021 – 39.2%
Parliamentary elections: 2010 – 59.2%, 2015 – 39.8%, 2020 – 54.4%, 2021 – 34.6%, 2025 – 36.9%
Referendums: 2010 – 72.2%, 2016 – 41.7%, January 2021 – 39.1%, April 2021 – 36.7%
Elections for local councils: 2012 – 48.7%, 2016 – 44.4%, 2021 – 38.8%, 2024 – 28.7%
Mamataliyev noted that on December 26, 2025, at the People's Kurultai, the president raised the issue of low voter turnout in the recent parliamentary elections. Despite the changes made to the election law on July 2, 2011, the turnout in the elections on November 30, 2025, was only 36.9%, slightly higher than the 2021 figure (34.6%).
The proposed measures to increase voter activity include lotteries among voters. The draft law also stipulates that citizens listed in the voter rolls are required to participate in voting, while maintaining the secrecy of the ballot and the right to choose any candidate or vote against all.
Only those citizens with valid reasons, such as incapacity, age over 70, being abroad, military service, working in law enforcement, and having documented insurmountable circumstances, are exempt from mandatory voting.
The draft law introduces penalties for failure to fulfill obligations without valid reasons, including written warnings from the Central Election Commission, fines of 10 calculated indicators (1000 soms), and temporary deprivation of the right to nominate candidates or hold state and municipal positions for up to 5 years.
For citizens who actively participate in elections, various benefits are provided, such as discounts on state and municipal services and additional points when applying for state and municipal personnel reserves. Participants in the voting will receive lottery tickets, which can be either paper or electronic for remote voting.
The government will determine the categories of benefits and the procedure for their provision to those who participated in the elections.
