Deputy Dastan Bekeshev, who initiated this draft law, noted that current legislation prohibits employees of territorial public self-government from engaging in campaigning. Nevertheless, some house committees and heads of homeowners' associations continue to use their powers to support certain candidates, which constitutes an abuse of administrative resources.
According to Bekeshev, during the recent parliamentary elections, there were instances where some house committees attempted to disrupt campaign events. For example, they prohibited the placement of campaign banners, even when shop owners had obtained permission for this. "Some house committees claimed that residents had already made their choice, and therefore any campaign materials were unacceptable," he added. The deputy also pointed out that similar problems exist in rural areas, where meetings with voters are held, but local residents face obstacles.
Bekeshev added that he himself encountered such situations during his election campaign in 2025, which forced his team to limit the scale of events due to fears of disruption.
It is proposed to supplement Article 65 of the Code of Offenses with new provisions that introduce fines for disrupting campaigning:
- 10,000 soms – for individuals;
- 20,000 soms – for house committees and heads of homeowners' associations.
However, Bekeshev believes that unfounded complaints against house committees are unlikely. "Candidates who use house committees for their own interests are probably worried about such measures," he noted.
Uzakbaev also questioned whether this is a systemic problem or if it only concerns Bekeshev. He was also interested in whether there is any statistics from the Central Election Commission on such cases. Bekeshev replied that many candidates have faced similar difficulties.
"Do you want to nitpick? Just support the draft law. The Central Election Commission has expressed a positive opinion on this matter," Bekeshev remarked with a hint of irony.
Uzakbaev responded by agreeing to support the draft law with a smile.
Deputy Altynbek Kilychbaev acknowledged the relevance of the issue but asked how the facts of disruptions could be confirmed. Bekeshev noted that video recordings are necessary.
Jyldyz Kurmanalieva expressed concerns that such provisions could lead to false accusations and asked Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Erkebek Ashirkhodzhaev to comment on how control over the new law would be implemented. The deputy minister admitted that he was invited to the meeting on another issue and had not yet studied the draft law.
After discussions, the deputies generally approved the concept of the draft law.
