Kyrgyzstan to Use Biometric Data in October Polls
| Publisher | Institute for War and Peace Reporting |
| Author | Aytunuk Nurdinova |
| Publication Date | 24 August 2015 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | RCA Issue 768 |
| Cite as | Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Kyrgyzstan to Use Biometric Data in October Polls, 24 August 2015, RCA Issue 768, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/55dd8ee94.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
When Kyrgyzstan holds its next parliamentary election on October 4 this year, only people who have registered their biometric data with the authorities will be allowed to vote.
Most adults have entered their fingerprints under a system made possible by a law passed last year. Although it is not compulsory to submit biometric data, it is required in order to vote.
Officials say the system will guarantee free and fair polls, ruling out both bureaucratic error and deliberate fraud on election day. Some voters are unhappy about being forced to handover biometric data in exchange for the pre-existing basic right to vote. Others point out the substantial risk that the computerised data will be lost or fall into the wrong hands. The central election commission dismisses those fears, arguing that the data is encoded so that a thief would be unable to view it and misuse it.
Aytunuk Nurdinova is an IWPR contributor in Kyrgyzstan.