Kyrgyz Parliament Approves Bill Making Election Day Paid Holiday for Voters Only

Kyrgyzstan's parliament has passed a bill that could significantly alter how elections are conducted. Lawmakers propose making election day a paid public holiday, but with a crucial condition: only citizens who actually vote will receive their wages for that day. The initiative, spearheaded by deputies Marlen Mamataliev, Dastan Dzhumabekov, and Mirlan Jeenchoroev, seeks to amend the Labor Code and the Law on State Pension Social Insurance.

The core of the bill designates election day as a distinct period of rest, akin to weekends and holidays. However, the average daily wage will only be preserved for employees who can prove their participation in the vote. The explanatory note explicitly states that failure to vote without a valid reason will render the day an unpaid non-working day. Similarly, the day will only count towards pension insurance for those who show up at the polling stations.

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The bill aims to increase voter turnout, which was only 36.9% in the 2025 parliamentary elections.

Furthermore, the bill allows the cabinet of ministers to introduce additional benefits for voters and potential restrictions for those who abstain. The authors argue that low voter turnout necessitates these reforms. They point to the 2025 parliamentary elections, where only 1.58 million out of over 4.2 million eligible voters participated. The current practice of holding elections on Sundays, they contend, is perceived by many as a day for personal leisure rather than civic duty.

To combat this, the bill suggests shifting election day to Wednesdays, making it a paid day off. The lawmakers cite the United Kingdom and the Netherlands as examples where elections are held on weekdays. This move aims to encourage higher participation by framing election day as a working holiday, directly linking the benefit of a paid day off to the act of voting.

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Many perceive the weekend as a time for rest, travel, and family matters, rather than for participating in the vote.