Home > 4.2 Presidential elections > KYRGYZ REPUBLIC- Joint Opinion on the Draft Electoral Law
 
 
 
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Paragraph 56
 

G. Electoral deposits for presidential candidates


Article 77(4) of the draft law requires that a candidate for president pay an electoral deposit “in a five thousand-fold amount of the calculated index established by the legislation”. This is an increase from the current legal requirement of “a thousand-fold”, which was already considered as excessive in the 2011 joint opinion and limiting the right to be elected to wealthy people.[1] Further, it is questionable whether both the collection of signatures and the requirement of an electoral deposit are necessary to ensure that spurious candidates do not waste electoral resources. The requirement of both signatures and electoral deposits is excessive and may prevent legitimate candidacies. The OSCE/ODIHR and the Venice Commission previously recommended that the combined requirement of signatures and an electoral deposit be removed from the law, and that registration requirements may be met through either the collection of signatures or payment of an electoral deposit. This recommendation not only remains unaddressed, but the amount of the electoral deposit has been increased.


[1] CDL-AD(2011)025, par. 43.