§ KZ Election Law Art. 27Pre-election campaign

1. The pre-election campaign shall be the activity with the aim of inducing voters to take part in voting for or against any candidate or a political party.
The foreigners, stateless persons, foreign legal entities and international organizations shall be prohibited to conduct the activities, which may hinder and (or) facilitate nomination and election of candidates, political parties nominated their party lists, and achievement of certain results at elections.
2. The pre-election campaign shall begin since the moment of closure of the candidates’ registration and shall end at midnight by the local time on the day before election. In case of conduct of the rerun of a vote the pre-election campaign shall begin from the day of assignment of a day for the rerun of a vote and shall end at midnight by the local time of the day before election.
3. The pre-election campaign shall be conducted:
1) through mass media;
2) by holding of public pre-election campaign (pre-election meetings and meetings with voters (electors), public debates and discussions, meetings, processions, demonstrations and other activities in the order established by the legislation and not forbidden by this Constitutional Law), personal meetings of candidates and their proxies with voters (electors);
3) through issue and (or) distribution of printed, audiovisual and other campaign materials;
4) through online platforms.
4. It shall be forbidden to conduct a pre-election campaign, to distribute any pre-election
campaign materials to:
1) state bodies, local self-government bodies as well as their officials, while on duty;
2) servicemen of the armed forces, other troops and military formations, personnel of the bodies of the national security, law-enforcement bodies and judges;
3) members of election commissions;
4) religious associations.
It shall be prohibited for TV and radio broadcasters to distribute any campaign materials in news and analytical programs.
5. Taking advantages of the official status by the candidates, who are officials of the state bodies, shall be forbidden.
Under the use of advantages of the positional or official status, this Constitutional Law shall consider the following:
1) involvement of persons, who are subordinated or dependent on candidate, to the conduct of a pre-election campaign, except the cases when the above-mentioned persons conduct campaigning as proxies of a candidate;
2) using the premises occupied by the state bodies to promote the election of a candidate or a political party that nominated a party list, if other candidates, political parties are not guaranteed by the use of these premises on the same conditions.
Compliance with the restrictions stipulated by this clause must not create obstacles for implementation by the officials of their duties.
6. Journalists, officials of the editorial staff of mass media, registered as candidates or their proxies, shall not be entitled to take part in the election coverage by mass media.
7. Mass media shall be obliged to carry out objective coverage of the election campaign of candidates, political parties; refrain from publishing campaign materials and other information that obviously defames the honor, dignity and business reputation of a candidate or political party; provide these persons with the possibility of free publication of a denial in defense of honor, dignity and business reputation in the next issue of the print edition in the same volume, in the same font and in the same place where the refuted message or material was placed. On radio and television, the refutation must be broadcast at the same time of day and in the same television and radio program as the refuted message or material, and in cases of the closure of the said television and radio program, - in another television and radio program with a corresponding thematic focus.
The volume of refutation may not exceed twice or more the volume of the refuted message or material.
The mass media shall be obliged to disseminate information about events for the nomination of all candidates and party lists, their registration by election commissions in equal volumes of print space and airtime.
The media shall immediately provide the opportunity to the relevant election commissions to publish information on the progress of the election campaign and the messages, established by this Constitutional Law.
7-1. Users of online platforms shall be required to refrain from publishing campaign materials and other information that deliberately discredits the honour, dignity and business reputation of a candidate or political party; provide these persons with the opportunity to publish a refutation free of charge in defence of their honour, dignity and business reputation.
8. The officials of mass media shall not bear responsibility for the statements of candidates and political parties during electoral campaigns, except for cases of publication of materials indicated in clause 1 of Article 29 of this Constitutional Law.
9. Conduct of the pre-election campaign accompanied by granting to voters of goods, services, securities free of charge or on favorable terms as well as conduct of lotteries, charitable actions, payment of money or promise to provide the latter shall be considered as inadequate pre- electoral campaign, except for free distribution of the printed and illustrative materials, badges, flags and the tags specially produced for the electoral campaign. Conduct of inadequate pre-election campaigns shall be forbidden.
Since the moment of announcement (appointment) of elections the candidates, political parties, which nominated their party lists, any physical persons and legal entities acting on behalf of them or in their support shall be forbidden to carry out charitable actions except the conduct of entertainment and sports events.
Infringement by a candidate or a political party nominated a party list and their proxies of the rules established by this clause shall entail cancellation of the decision on registration of the candidate and the party list.
10. Conduct a pre-election campaign using the image of any person without his/her written consent and in case of his/her death - without permission of his/her heirs shall be forbidden.
Footnote. Article 27 is with the changes, introduced by the Constitutional Laws of RK dated April 14, 2004 № 545-II; April 15, 2005 № 44-III; February 9, 2009 № 124-IV (the order of enactment see Art. 2); dated 29.06.2018 № 162-VI (shall be enforced upon expiry of ten calendar days after its first official publication); dated 05.11.2022 № 156-VІI (refer to Article 3 for the order of entry into force).