ON THE RESULTS OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN UZBEKISTAN
Abstract
On 27 December, 2009, elections were held to the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis (parliament) of the Republic of Uzbekistan, as well as to the regional, district, and city Kengashes of people’s deputies. This article examines the preparations for the elections that began in June 2009 and takes a look at the National Conception on Preparing for and Holding Elections approved by the Central Election Commission (CEC), the election platforms of the political parties, the speeches made by party representatives, and various CEC documents. The authors polled a representative selection of the population nationwide and interviewed election observers, authorized representatives of the political parties, and election agents of the can didates for deputy. On election day, they visited several polling stations to observe the voting procedure.
This study reveals that the republic’s executive power manipulated the election process; the Legislative Chamber deputies had already been chosen before the elections began. Contrary to the government’s official statements about the high voter turnout, it was actually no higher than 45-50% (apart from at polling stations set up in learning institutions and military establishments). Nor did the republic’s citizens show any particular interest in the results of the parliamentary elections, or of the elections of the regional, district, and city Kengashes of people’s deputies, since such referendums in Uzbekistan have long shown their ineffectuality in involving the people in state and public management. The executive power proficiently staged the semblance of a spirited interparty struggle and active election campaign. However, we hope that future elections will indeed be more vigorous and competitive, since the legislative framework promoting the efficient functioning of political parties has become much stronger in the past few years. We can confidently say that the political parties have gained enough experience in the elections to the Oliy Majlis in 1994, 1999, 2004, and 2009 to enhance their active participation in future elections
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References
“Sovershenstvovanie izbiratelnogo zakonodatelstva kak vazhnyy etap v demokratizatsii i liberalizatsii vybornykh protsessov v sovremennyy period,” 24 November, 2009, Zhakhon Information Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan Min-istry of Foreign Affairs, available at [http://www.jahonnews.uz/rus/rubriki/sobitiya_i_dati/vibori_v_oliy_majlis_respubliki_
zbekistan/sovershenstvovanie_izbiratelnogo_zakonodatelstwa.mgr].
Ibidem.
See: “Rol i mesto politicheskikh partiy v obnovlenii, dalneishei demokratizatsii gosudarstvennogo upravleniia i modernizatsii strany,” 20 November, 2009, Zhakhon Information Agency of the Republic of Uzbekistan Ministry of For-eign Affairs, available at [http://www.jahonnews.uz/rus/rubriki/sobitiya_i_dati/vibori_v_oliy_majlis_respubliki_uzbekistan/
ol_i_mesto_politicheskix_partiy_v_obnovlenii.mgr].
B. Ergashev, “Ne karmannyy parlament, i daleko ne igrushechnye partii,” Internet version of the journal Ekonom-icheskoe obozrenie, available at [http://www.review.uz/page/article/grajdanskoye_obshestvo/2575].
“Rol i mesto politicheskikh partiy v obnovlenii, dalneishei demokratizatsii gosudarstvennogo upravlenia i modern-izatsii strany,” 20 November, 2009.
Khalk suzi (National Word), 6 December, 2008.
Adolat means Justice in Uzbek.
Milliy Tiklanish means National Revival in Uzbek.
B. Ergashev, op. cit.
The authors’ interview with a representative of the UzLiDeP, 18 November, 2009, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Initiative of Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov “6+3” on the peaceful settlement of the situation in neighboring Afghanistan by involving six of Afghanistan’s neighboring countries plus the U.S., Russia, and NATO in this process.
Authors’ interview with representatives of the political parties participating in television debates, 23 September,2009, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
See: Milliy Tiklanish, 19 August, 2009.
Website of the CEC of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 27 December, 2009, available at [http://elections.uz/uzb/ angiliklar_va_tadbirlar/yangiliklar/saylov_muvaffaqiyatli_otdi.mgr].
Authors’ interview with a source in the CEC of the Republic of Uzbekistan, 5 January, 2010, Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
For example, the final statement of the observer mission from the CIS maintains the following: “The mission of observers from the Commonwealth of Independent States believes that the elections to the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan held on 27 December, 2009, were held in keeping with the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the election legislation in effect in the country, and the generally accepted regulations for holding democratic elections; it recognizes the elections as free and open; it maintains that the elections demonstrated a level of political ma-turity inherent in a civil society, ensured the free expression of will of the voters, and reinforced the foundations of state sovereignty and the democratic principles of the Republic of Uzbekistan,” Mission Statement, 28 December, 2009, availa-ble at [http://www.uzinform.org/ru/news/2009/12/28/0003047.htm] in Russian.
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