Among the proposed incentives are:
- free public transport on election day for all voters;
- allocation of funds from the republican budget for local initiatives if voter turnout at polling stations exceeds 70 percent;
- the accrual of digital soms, which can be used to pay for government services, taxes, and fines, for those citizens who participate in voting. The amount will be determined by the president or the Jogorku Kenesh.
The digital som represents a third form of currency, alongside cash and cashless payments. It is expected that the Cabinet will launch the digital som by the end of 2026. All three forms of currency will be equivalent and interchangeable at a one-to-one ratio.
24.kg decided to find out the opinion of its readers on this issue.
What amount of reward would encourage you to participate in the elections?
1,000 soms
2,000-3,000 soms
No less than 5,000 soms
I always vote
It is worth noting that in the previous parliamentary elections, voter turnout was extremely low. Despite the possibility of remote voting and the opening of polling stations in shopping centers and markets, as well as the opportunity to vote abroad in cities like Moscow, Chicago, and even in Africa, turnout was only about 37 percent.
The President of the Kyrgyz Republic, Sadyr Japarov, emphasized that 63 percent of voters did not participate in the voting, which he believes negatively affects the quality of parliament. He noted: "We ourselves are a passive people, yet we criticize the deputies, calling them 'chimkiryks.' Those who sell their votes actively participate in the elections, while those who do not do so do not show up."
Deputy Marlen Mamataliyev proposed to introduce mandatory participation of citizens in elections and referendums with the possibility of imposing fines for non-attendance, stipulating this in the legislation.
