The Prosecutor General’s Office of Kazakhstan has announced violations identified in the process of preparing for the referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant in the republic. This was reported by the press service of the supervisory authority.
“From the first days of preparation for the referendum, the prosecutor’s office noted violations of the requirements of these legislative acts. To date, eight cases of illegal public opinion polls related to the republican referendum have been established. In six cases, they were carried out by individuals and in two by legal entities that did not previously notify the Central Referendum Commission. Based on these facts, the prosecutor’s office has already charged four citizens and two legal entities under Part 3 of Article 120 of the Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan on administrative offenses and imposed fines on them. In addition, work is underway to bring them to justice,” – the statement says.
The department recalled that the procedure for preparing and holding a referendum is regulated in detail by the laws “On the Republican Referendum” and “On Elections in the Republic of Kazakhstan”, insofar as it does not contradict the legislation on referendums.
The declaration also states that, in accordance with the law, citizens and public associations have the right to express their opinion on a referendum issue during the campaign at rallies, meetings, citizen meetings and in the media.
“Meetings and rallies must be organized and held within the framework of the law “On the procedure for organizing and holding peaceful meetings in the Republic of Kazakhstan”. Failure to comply with the requirements for holding peaceful meetings entails administrative liability under Article 488 of the Code of Administrative Offences of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The campaign period began on September 3 and will last until October 4, 2024 (until 24:00). The day before and on the day of the referendum, i.e. October 5 and 6, 2024, is prohibited.” – the statement continues.
The campaign period began on September 3 and will run until midnight on October 4, the Attorney General’s Office recalled. The day before and on the day of the referendum, i.e. October 5 and 6, 2024, is prohibited.
