Five Parties Cleared to Battle in Uzbekistan's First Post-Reform Legislative Poll

Nizamkhodjaev Zayniddin, chairman of the CEC, explained the importance of the diversity of choice available to citizens in the upcoming poll.

"The five parties approved for participation in the parliamentary election offer citizens a range of choices as we would expect in any properly functioning democracy. The divergent ideologies represented will promote a healthy debate on which direction our economy should take, and will ensure accountability for the parties who ultimately hold power. We anticipate a lively election campaign and a free and fair election that will move Uzbekistan forward on the road to mature democracy."

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 Government and the judiciary. Depending on how the share of parliamentary seats are allocated among the five parties and their varying priorities, the pace of certain reforms may be accelerated.

In the next phase on the electoral calendar, the approved parties have to nominate candidates - subject to a quota for women, who should number at least 40% of the candidates nominated from a political party in single-mandate constituencies. On the party list, at least two out of every five sequential candidates must be women.

Additionally, the country is transitioning away from an exclusively "first past the post" to a hybrid model in which half of the 150 seats are selected by constituency, and the other half proportionally via national party lists with a 7% threshold.

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