Kyrgyzstan Tightens Requirements for Local Council Deputy Candidates

According to the Central Election Commission of Kyrgyzstan, candidates holding state or municipal positions must suspend their official duties from the moment of nomination until the election results are finalized. This suspension applies to:

• Civil servants, regardless of their type of service (civil, military, law enforcement, diplomatic);
• Municipal employees;
• Media employees;
• Heads of state or municipal institutions.

Additionally, candidates who are classified as:

• State political servants;
• Municipal political employees, excluding local council deputies;
• Heads of state or municipal enterprises, or legal entities with over 30 percent state (municipal) ownership, must also cease their official duties upon nomination.

This requirement extends to individuals in roles such as school principals and chief physicians, who must suspend their official responsibilities during the election period.

Organizations where candidates are employed are responsible for ensuring that these individuals retain their average salary during their suspension. The legal guarantees for deputy candidates take effect upon their registration by the territorial election commission and remain in place until the election results are confirmed, or until a court decision is reached in the case of an appeal.

Furthermore, registered candidates cannot be dismissed, reassigned, or called to military service without their consent. Time spent participating in the elections is counted toward their work experience. Candidates are also protected from criminal liability, detention, arrest, or judicial penalties without the consent of the territorial election commission, except in cases where they are detained at the scene of a crime.