Multiparty legislative elections herald continued work on
reform agenda
TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, July 26,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Central Election Commission
of the Republic of Uzbekistan
(CEC) has fixed the election date for parliamentary elections that
follow on last year's successful constitutional referendum.
Citizens will go to the polls on October
27 to elect a total of 150 parliamentary deputies and almost
6,000 members of local councils.
This election represents the first time since 2019 that
parliamentarians have had to seek a new mandate from voters, and
the first since the 2023 constitutional referendum, which vested
more power in the parliament than ever before. Additionally, this
election makes a change from an exclusively "first past the post"
method to a majority-proportional (mixed) system. This time, 75 of
the 150 deputies of the Legislative Chamber will be elected from
single-member constituencies under the "first past the post"
system, while the remaining 75 will be chosen through proportional
representation; that is, on the basis of votes given to party
lists, with a threshold of 7%.
Nizamkhodjaev Zayniddin, chairman of the CEC, explained
the importance of the elections in garnering public confidence in
democratic processes.
"Today, our citizens are not only witnesses of major
transformations, but also active participants in transformation
processes through genuine representation of the interests of
citizens and civil society institutions. The elections push forward
with the liberalization of socio-political relations, the
accountability of public institutions at all levels to the
population, the democratization of public administration, and of
course the strengthening of institutions of parliamentary control
over the activities of officials."
Several parties are expected to participate. A provision for
more political competition in the Constitution approved just last
year stipulated that the basic law of the country must guarantee
the freedom of political opposition in parties as well as public
associations, mass movements, and representative bodies of state
power. There are also quotas for women, who should number at least
40% of the candidates nominated from a political party in
single-mandate constituencies, while on the party list, at least
two out of every five sequential candidates must be women.
An "E-Elections" information system has been put in operation,
allowing all CEC activities, as well as their interaction with
political parties, candidates, observers and mass media to be fully
automated. This secures openness and transparency of the process
while reducing unnecessary bureaucracy.
Public interest in the election is expected to be higher than in
the past, because the legislature is no longer a rubber stamp, but
rather a strengthened political force that executes significant
checks and balances on the Presidency and the judiciary.
As per the pre-election calendar, parties have certain
thresholds to meet. For example, they must collect 40,000 voter
signatures for the CEC to grant permission to participate in the
elections, Then, the parties have to nominate candidates and
certify their election manifesto.
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