Uzbekistan Prepares for Parliamentary Elections

Uzbekistan to hold elections of deputies of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis (parliament) of the Republic of Uzbekistan and deputies of local “Kengashes” on December 22, 2019.

The upcoming parliamentary elections will be held under the slogan “New Uzbekistan – new elections”, in which citizens of Uzbekistan will elect not only deputies of the Oliy Majlis, but also local Kengashes.

In Uzbekistan, which has entered the democratic stage of its own development, a new campaign has begun on the election of deputies to the new parliament and new local Kengashes.

This election will be another bright manifestation of advanced democratic ideas embodied in the Strategy of Actions in Five Priority Areas for the Development of Uzbekistan, 2017-2021. They are an integral part of the ongoing dynamic reforms in the political, legal, socio-economic, cultural, spiritual and educational fields.

A consistent and confident policy pursued by the state gives high results. The international community recognizes the growing authority of Uzbekistan and seeks to expand cooperation with it. The principles of multi-party system, political pluralism, multilateralism, openness, transparency and tolerance are increasingly being established in the society of Uzbekistan.

During the election of deputies of the Legislative Chamber, local Kengashes by the district election commissions for the election of deputies of the Legislative Chamber will be formed single polling stations.

At the current elections, all the necessary conditions will be created for the participation of all citizens of Uzbekistan living abroad.

In order to implement the constitutional rights of citizens of the Republic of Uzbekistan living abroad, the Central election Commission has developed and approved the relevant regulation.

So, for the first time, the Regulation on the procedure for the formation of polling stations at diplomatic missions and consular offices of the Republic of Uzbekistan in foreign countries was developed.

Citizens living abroad temporarily or permanently are included in the voter lists of foreign polling stations on the basis of their appeals.

In addition, 15 days before the election, citizens can through the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs electronically apply to foreign polling stations to add them to the voter lists.

For the first time in elections in Uzbekistan, five political parties have the right to nominate their candidates. These are the “Milliy Tiklanish Democratic Party”, “The People’s Democratic Party of Uzbekistan”, the Movement of Entrepreneurs and Business People – “The Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan”, the Social Democratic Party “Adolat” and “The Ecological Party of Uzbekistan”.

More than 20 million voters, including for the first time more than 2 million youth representatives will vote in elections.

According to the Electoral Code, political parties now have the right to nominate candidates not only in 135, but in all 150 constituencies. The abolition of quotas by the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan will intensify inter-party competition.

Representatives of international organizations such as the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the OSCE, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Executive Committee and the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the World Association of Electoral Agencies, Organization of economic cooperation, Asian Parliamentary Assembly, as well as 26 foreign electoral bodies, parliamentarians of foreign states, representatives of research institutes and others are expected to participate in the upcoming elections as observers.

According to article 33 of the Election Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, foreign (international) observers have the right to participate in all activities for the preparation and conduct of elections.

This demonstrates the transparency and openness of the electoral process in Uzbekistan, as well as the country’s commitment to its obligations under international instruments and universally recognized democratic principles.

As part of improving the electoral system of the Republic of Uzbekistan, on June 25, 2019, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed the Law “On Approving the Electoral Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan”, adopted by the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis on February 18, 2019 and approved by the Senate on February 28, 2019.

The entry into force on June 26, 2019 of the Electoral Code, which combined the laws governing the organization and conduct of presidential, parliamentary and local representative bodies into one document, has important political significance in the country’s public life.

The Electoral Code consists of 18 chapters and 103 articles. The conceptual basis of the electoral system of the Republic of Uzbekistan is freedom of elections.

Elections which held this year under the slogan “New Uzbekistan – New Elections ” proposed a new organizational format in which state funds provided not only to candidates to the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majilis, but also to local Kengashes, allowed them to expand their participation in political debates, increase healthy competition and the level of struggle for each deputy seat.

Currently, political parties have begun their campaigning and debate through the media, as well as television, public information and telecommunication networks.