Bylykbashi: Socialist Party is bypassing OSCE/ODIHR recommendations; reform must separate the state from the ruling party

Oerd Bylykbashi, co-chair of the Electoral Reform Commission, wants the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations to guide work on electoral changes. According to him, the fundamental condition for a free and fair process is that political parties compete on equal terms.

He noted that the commission, established a year ago, is now in the final month of its mandate. Bylykbashi stressed that the task entrusted to the commission is to implement the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations, so they must take priority in its work.

In his view, unequal conditions in electoral competition remain the main problem to be resolved. He recalled that the issue has been identified not only in the OSCE/ODIHR report, but also in reports by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the European Parliament and, most recently, the European Commission.

For Bylykbashi, ensuring a level playing field requires a genuine separation of the state from the ruling party. He called for the use of government power, public administration and state resources for the benefit of the Socialist Party—or any political force that may hold power in the future—to be prevented. He also stressed that offenders, party patronage operatives and all perpetrators of electoral crimes must face strict and effective punishment.

Another priority, he said, is a fundamental change to the electoral system. Bylykbashi said the opposition has been calling for this for years and that students and protesters have joined that call in recent months. According to him, the country needs an entirely new system based on nationwide proportional representation for parties, open lists that allow voters to choose their representatives in parliament, and as few barriers as possible for parties seeking to enter the race.

He called for open lists to be used in municipal council elections as well. That, he said, would replace the closed lists in place since the 2000 Electoral Code, which was approved unilaterally by the Socialist Party.

Bylykbashi said the Democratic Party and its experts have drafted a comprehensive package of proposals to separate the state from the ruling party. He added that the party has already publicly presented its positions on the key issues of electoral reform.

Turning to political financing, he said the law on financing political parties and separating the state from the party during non-election periods, as required by the EU and OSCE/ODIHR, must be fully aligned with the rules governing party financing and prohibiting the misuse of state resources during election campaigns.

He described the law as important, although he clarified that it is not an OSCE/ODIHR recommendation and will take effect only after the May 9, 2027 elections. For that reason, Bylykbashi said, it is interdependent with the adoption of party-financing rules in the Electoral Code.

The commission’s co-chair said the Democratic Party remains fully committed to prioritizing the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations, which form the body’s principal mandate, through open engagement and consensus. To advance that work, he announced that the party would submit concrete proposals and amendments.

Meanwhile, he accused the Socialist Party of focusing so far on issues that do not stem from the OSCE/ODIHR recommendations and are not priorities for holding free and fair elections on May 9, 2027. Bylykbashi stressed that responsibility for implementing the recommendations by consensus and ensuring an election that meets required standards rests with the majority, not just the opposition.

According to him, this approach risks leading once again to unilateral electoral changes. He compared the majority’s stance to the course that, as he put it, led to the deliberate failure of the Territorial Reform Commission, with the aim of paving the way for unilateral changes to the Electoral Code. He cited the elimination of 15 municipalities as an example.