Fine for non-appearance and lottery: KR proposes to make voting mandatory

At a public discussion in Kyrgyzstan, a draft constitutional law was presented, which stipulates mandatory participation of citizens in elections and referendums. The bill also includes fines and incentives for voter turnout. Deputy of the Jogorku Kenesh Marlen Mamataliev initiated this proposal.

The document is available for review on the official website of the Jogorku Kenesh.

The draft law proposes amendments to three existing constitutional laws: "On the Elections of the President and Deputies of the Jogorku Kenesh of the Kyrgyz Republic," "On the Central Commission for Elections and Referendums of the Kyrgyz Republic," and "On Referendums in the Kyrgyz Republic."
The main innovation is the introduction of mandatory voting for citizens with active voting rights who are included in the voter lists. The obligation will be considered fulfilled from the moment of receiving the ballot.
It is important to note that the freedom of choice remains guaranteed: every citizen can vote for any candidate, against all, or abstain from supporting any option.

Exempt from mandatory participation in elections and referendums will be:

• persons over 70 years old;


• incapacitated citizens;


• citizens who are outside the country on the day of voting;


• persons who did not appear for valid reasons (e.g., illness, natural disasters, official duties, and other emergency circumstances).

In some cases, documentary evidence will be required, and the precinct commission must be notified.

In case of non-participation in voting without valid reasons, the following system of penalties is proposed:

• first case — written warning;


• second case — administrative fine;


• in case of systematic evasion (three or more times) — a temporary restriction for up to five years on running for elected positions and holding positions in public service.

The draft law also includes incentives for those who vote:

• discounts on various state and municipal services;


• additional points when being admitted to the personnel reserve.

Additionally, it is proposed to issue lottery tickets along with ballots, and for the Central Commission for Elections and Referendums to organize state lotteries and prize draws, including in real-time.
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The President questioned online voting and spoke about mandatory elections.

In the justification of the draft law, it is noted that over the past 15 years, voter turnout in Kyrgyzstan has been steadily declining. For example, in the parliamentary elections of 2025, only 36.9% of voters participated, despite significant budget expenditures on organizing the elections.

The authors of the initiative refer to the international experience of countries where mandatory voting has been implemented, such as Belgium, Australia, Turkey, Singapore, and Latin American countries, where turnout consistently exceeds 80-90%.