The District Election Commissions (DECs) elected 24 047 heads/members of Precinct Election Commissions (PECs). A repeat contest was called for 193 vacant positions.

Although the Election Administration (EA) has elected Precinct Election Commission heads and members in full compliance with the law and adhered to principles of transparency and openness, some parties still attempted to discredit the process.

Even before the Precinct Election Commissions were formed, the Election Administration issued a statement urging stakeholders not to discredit the process or the individuals to be elected. However, despite this, certain individuals, driven by political motives, sought to undermine both the election process and the officials, both prospective and elected, through baseless and manipulative statements, leading to their stigmatization.

Therefore, once again, we urge all impartial observer organizations to assess election administrators at every level based on their actions and neutrality, rather than politically motivated statements. For our part, the Election Administration will ensure that every administrator has the right to perform their duties in a peaceful environment and that the October 26 election is conducted following international standards.

A total of 24 425 applications were received for 24 240 vacant positions, including 9 111 applications for 9 090 head positions and 15 314 applications for 15 150 commission member positions.

All individuals elected to Precinct Election Commissions hold the required certificate. Following legislative changes based on OSCE/ODIR recommendations, it became mandatory for Precinct Election Commission members elected by District Election Commissions to possess a certificate. To support those seeking certification, the Election Administration organized multiple certification exams nationwide.

The majority of those elected have experience working in election-related roles and have also participated in CEC educational projects. Specifically:

Among the elected individuals, many have prior experience as members of the Precinct Election Commission. Since 2012, 16 870 people, or 70.15% of the total, have participated in at least one of the last eight general elections as commission members.

From newly elected members to the Precinct Election Commissions, 14 183 are participants of “Election Administrator’s Courses”, 1 111 of “Electoral Development Schools”, and 479 are graduates of “Youth Camps”.

3 030 polling stations will be open for the 26 October elections. 51 510 commission members will serve voters, including, 9 090 heads and 15 150 members elected by election commissions on professional grounds, while the remaining 27 270 will be appointed by authorized 9 political parties.