Since taking office in 2016, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has has launched many reforms throughout the country. Under the slogan « New Uzbekistan », a broad series of initiatives was offered last year to the Uzbek population, who then were requested to pronounce on them through a referendum.
This was the first of three nation-wide votes, starting in 2023 and extending into this year. The second was the Presidential election a couple of months later, where the people reconfirmed their strong support for the President.
In line with the 2023 reforms, the third was carried out last Sunday, 27 October. This time the people were voting to elect the legislative chamber of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan, combined with elections to the local Kengashes councils.
The Uzbek Election Committee, under its chairman Mr NiZAMKHODJAEV had done an exemplary job, ensuring transparency and fairness of the electoral process in full compliance with international standards. For the first time in the history of Uzbekistan, elections to the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majilis were held on the basis of a mixed majoritarian-proportional electoral system. 150 representatives were elected to the Legislative Chamber as well those elected to the regional Kengashes councils.
Turn-out was high — above 70 percent, which surpassed by far the 33% threshold needed for the election to be valid. All candidates came from one of the country’s five registered political parties, and, owing to the 2023? reforms, there was a further increase in the number of seats for women. The Election Committee in the country, being in the forefront of innovation in Central Asia, also tested a new electronic voting system in 10 different election polling stations, with satisfactory results.
The outcome of the election showed 64 MPs for the Movement of Entrepreneurs and Businessmen – Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party; 29 for the Democratic Party of Uzbekistan; 20 for the People’s Democratic Party of Uzbekistan; 21 for the Social Democratic Party; and 16 for the Uzbekistan Ecology Party.
As just mentioned above, the Uzbekistan Liberal Democratic Party garnered the biggest share of the votes, It is a self-described centre-right party of the middle class and private property owners, as well as of businesspeople, farmers, and the service sector. It seeks to promote economic liberalism and economic liberalization, having already liberalized the foreign currency market.
Uzbekistan will thus continue on its development path, showing that the democratic reforms undertaken in the country continue apace.
