BRIEF DESCRIPTION

Financed by UNDP and the Governments of Switzerland and Denmark, UNDP has been implementing electoral project named Kyrgyz Election Support Project - “KESP-II”. Through KESP-II which have implemented in partnership with the CEC and SRS, UNDP has provided technical assistance in term of introduction of ICT into electoral processes, contributed the improvements of the election administration bodies’ capacities and consequently led better managed and more credible elections.

RESULTS AND MAIN ACTIVITIES

The KESP-II has supported the following components:

Component 1: Advancement of ICT introduction into electoral management process;

Component 2: Institutional communication, civic and voter education campaigns; and

Component 3: Electoral dispute resolution and electoral security training.

Regarding the Component 1, the KESP II have supported the CEC and SRS with introduction of new equipment for voters’ biometric registration and identification and, in particular, provided a massive country range trainings on proper use of new equipment for more than 12,500 specialists for CEC and SRS. Within this component the Project provided support with the development of new web-site for CEC in 2017.

For the Component 2, the project contributed to internal and external communication and information efforts of the CEC. Few local civic organizations such as “Taza-Shailoo” (transl.as fair elections) and others provided support in conduction of awareness campaign for voters around the country, including the most vulnerable groups settled in “novostroikas” (a group of poor organized new settlements with lack of access to basic living standards) around Bishkek.

About the Component 3, for the 2017 presidential election, UNDP assisted the Center of Electoral Technologies of the CEC for electoral dispute resolution (EDR) issues including public awareness campaigns. The project partners, such as “Coalition for democracy and civil society” and “Promotank” conducted public information and EDR trainings for political parties and law-enforcement; in total 15 party representatives and 900 specialists (law-enforcement, judges, and prosecutors) attended relevant trainings in all regions. Within this component, the project also supported the development of training materials on new electoral legislations and EDR for participants.

Overall, the KESP-2 has succeeded in its main goals of supporting the key electoral events. The 2015 Parliamentary elections were recognised as free, fair an transparent; 2017 presidential election was a historic vote - the first “regular” transition of power from a sitting president who has completed a constitutionally defined term of office to an elected successor. The 2017 Presidential elections was competitive and peaceful, and voter turnout was 56 % according to the CEC announcement. The CEC started posting on its website detailed preliminary election results by polling station, based on initial results provided by the ballot scanners, shortly after the end of voting.

At the moment the Project is extended by April 2018 (non-cost basis) in order to finalize the reconstruction of the SRS Training (Educational) Center of the SRS.