Kyrgyzstan May Make Voting Mandatory With Penalties

Kyrgyzstan is considering making participation in elections and referendums mandatory, along with introducing penalties for failing to vote.

A draft law proposing amendments to three constitutional laws has been published on the official website of the Jogorku Kenesh for public discussion, The Caspian Post reports Kyrgyz media.

The initiative was introduced by MP Marlen Mamataliyev.

According to the proposal, all citizens with active voting rights who are included in voter lists would be required to take part in elections and referendums. At the same time, the document stresses that freedom of choice remains absolute: voters would still be free to support any candidate, vote against all options, or refrain from backing any choice.

The draft law proposes exemptions from mandatory participation for:

citizens over the age of 70;

individuals declared legally incapacitated;

citizens who are outside Kyrgyzstan on voting day;

voters who fail to appear for valid reasons, such as illness, natural disasters, military service, or other emergency circumstances.

In some cases, documentary proof and notification of the local election commission would be required.

Penalties for unjustified non-participation would be introduced gradually:

a written warning for the first offense;

an administrative fine for a repeat violation;

in cases of systematic evasion (three or more times), a temporary ban of up to five years on running for elected office or holding positions in state and municipal service.

The bill also includes incentive measures for voters, such as discounts on state and municipal services and additional points when applying to the staff reserve. In addition, it proposes issuing lottery tickets together with ballots, with the Central Election Commission organizing state lotteries and prize draws, including in real time.

The explanatory note highlights a steady decline in voter turnout over the past 15 years. In the 2025 parliamentary elections, turnout stood at just 36.9 per cent, despite significant budget spending on organizing the vote.

The authors of the initiative cite international experience from countries with compulsory voting systems, including Belgium, Australia, Türkiye, Singapore, and several Latin American states, where turnout consistently exceeds 80-90 per cent.