Mass Media in Elections: Mistake or Intention?

Until now, journalists have been outraged by the rule that only one representative from each media outlet can be present at the polling station on election day. What about TV teams that consists of 2-3 people each? News agencies also usually work in a team of two people, not to say of YouTube and other social media.

So, this ridiculous restriction will soon be over. But how it will done?

A draft amendments and additions to some Constitutional Laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan on the implementation of the message of the Head of State dated March 16, 2022 have been published on the website of Open Legal Acts. The major part of those amendment are related to the Election Law. Among many other things (that really progressive ones), the authors of the bill  propose to allow “no more than three representatives from the media” at the polling station on the day of voting

What was it? We can just guess. A typo and the word “EACH media” is missing?  Or is it meant to be and only 3 media outlets will be allowed at the voting stations, but the others will not?

It’s better not to guess but to check and to leave a comment under paragraph 8 of Article 20. https://legalacts.egov.kz/npa/view?id=14147928&fbclid=IwAR2GNyk7oqqjXYSbFlvTh6Ei36ZGND7KPpsbPXDi0Q0TXfwD-TR6-XwY0n4#leave-npa-comment

     Hurry up - the public discussion will end on July 28.

The Adil Soz Foundation believes that  in case such a wording is a deliberate attempt to limit the coverage of elections, and not a typo, it

-          contradicts  the Constitution,

-          discredits the message of the President of Kazakhstan and the policy of the “hearing” state pursued by him,

-          violates the guarantees that ensure the freedom of expression of the will of the citizens of the Republic

-          and the right of citizens to receive and disseminate information.