The Central Election Commission and Referenda (CEC) of Kyrgyzstan will open 100 polling stations abroad for the parliamentary elections scheduled for November 30, 2025, nearly double the number established during the previous election cycle, when 51 polling stations operated globally. The announcement was made by CEC Chairman Tynchtyk Shainazarov during a press conference in Bishkek.
According to Shainazarov, the largest number of polling stations will be set up in Russia, 40 in total, including seven in Moscow and others across major Russian cities. Approximately 400,000 Kyrgyz citizens are officially registered as residing in Russia, the highest figure among all foreign countries.
Additional polling stations will be opened in Turkey (8), the United States (6, including two in Chicago), South Korea (4), Italy (3), and in Germany and China (2 each). Several other capital cities worldwide will also host single polling stations.
Shainazarov noted that the CEC has already dispatched five teams to Russian cities to conduct trial runs of the voting process. Test elections will be held on October 10, 20, and 30 in both Kyrgyzstan and Russia to identify potential technical or procedural issues.
“I urge our citizens living in Russia to come and observe how the new system will function, how the equipment operates and how it prints ballots corresponding to the voter’s home district. Seeing the process firsthand will help people understand how the upcoming elections will be conducted,” Shainazarov said.
Responding to a question from The Times of Central Asia about whether Kyrgyz citizens abroad would be able to vote remotely, Shainazarov confirmed that remote (electronic) voting has been fully suspended for the 2025 parliamentary elections. The decision, he said, was made to reduce the risk of vote-buying and electoral manipulation.
“Electronic voting allows people to vote from home using a smartphone. Technically and legally, we are ready for it, but the risk of vote-buying remains too high; a candidate could pay voters and verify how they voted. That is unacceptable,” he explained.
An exception will be made for voters who are physically unable to travel to polling stations due to medical reasons. In such cases, election commission staff will visit voters at home with the necessary equipment, provided a prior request is submitted to the CEC.
This year’s elections will also introduce a new voting system: ballots for candidates from different constituencies will be printed directly at polling stations. According to the CEC, this measure is intended to help prevent ballot fraud and enhance transparency.
