POLITICS

Bakhodyr ERGASHEV

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Bakhodyr Ergashev, D.Sc. (Philos.), professor, head of the Social Sciences and Humanities Department, University of World Economy and Diplomacy (Tashkent, Uzbekistan)

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By early 2005, the parliamentary election in Uzbekistan—a very important event of the beginning of the year—was over. By 17-20 January, the election, which was carried out in two stages, added 84 members of the Senate (the upper chamber of the Oliy Majlis) to the already elected 120 deputies of the lower, legislative chamber of the parliament, which became professional. Under the Constitution, 16 senators were appointed by a presidential decree of 24 January (among them were two poets, one scholar, two teachers, two directors of industrial enterprises, three heads of public associations, two members of the judiciary, and only four bureaucrats).

By appointing these people, the government let society know its attitude toward individual groups of the ruling elite and the latter’s composition in general. Local observers noticed how many teachers of secondary educational establishments (academic lyceums and professional colleges) and farm heads there were among the senators. The government obviously intended to tap the reformist potential of the intelligentsia and the middle class. As distinct from the upper chamber of the first and second convocations, the khokims (governors, mayors, prefects) of this convocation were given more opportunity to become involved in the functioning of the representative power structures (region, district, and city Kengashes of People’s Deputies), which they headed according to the specific laws of Uzbekistan.

The election campaign of 2004-2005 demonstrated a highly interesting transformation of the……………..

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