Support to Strengthening Democracy through Electoral Reform in the Kyrgyz Republic

All Central Asian countries are engaged in a constructive long-term dialogue with the Venice Commission which has been working in Central Asia for over 10 years. This co-operation has been made within the framework of several bilateral and regional projects with funding provided by the European Union. The national institutions of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan have been assisted in order to build their capacity to carry out reforms of their legal systems in line with European and international human rights standards, including the European Convention on Human Rights and the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights.  The Venice Commission provided legal assistance through various projects and organised a number of events providing opportunities for exchanging views with the authorities of Central Asian States on topics such as constitutional justice, electoral reform and access to justice.

At the end of 2016 the Venice Commission signed a co-operation Agreement with the European Union for the implementation of a new project in the electoral field in Kyrgyzstan. The project entitled “Support to Strengthening Democracy through Electoral Reform in the Kyrgyz Republic” with an overall budget EUR 710,000.

The project helps the Kyrgyz authorities to endorse their responsibilities in undertaking the electoral reform in line with the EU Agreement “Strengthening democracy through electoral reform – sector reform contract” as well as the national strategy for sustainable development for the period 2013-2017. The project contributes to reinforcing national capacity to deliver this reform through electoral bodies that work in line with international standards and enjoy public trust and confidence in the electoral processes in the country. The project supports the national counterparts through the provision of advice on further legislative reform and its effective implementation. This, in turn, shall ensure a higher degree of credibility, inclusiveness and transparency of electoral processes contributing to an increased legitimacy of elected bodies and public confidence in democratic institutions.

Main areas of project activities

• Support the authorities of the Kyrgyz Republic in elaboration of a comprehensive electoral reform strategy
• Strengthening of capacities of the State Registration Service and the Central Election Commission, the main partners of the project
• Support the authorities in improving the system of the electoral dispute resolution
• Support relevant actors to enhance the data protection mechanisms
• Strengthening of capacities of electoral commissions, political parties, relevant actors and other participants in the electoral process

The project is foreseen for two years and will end on 31 December 2018.

Useful links

Central Electoral Commission of Kyrgyz Republic

State Registration Service of Kyrgyz Republic

Delegation of the European Union to the Kyrgyz Republic

OSCE project office in Bishkek

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES)