Uzbekistan Central Election Commission Announces Parliamentary Elections for October

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.