IPA CIS International Observers Arrived in Uzbekistan to Conduct Long-Term Monitoring

The IPA CIS observer group comprising Adviser to the Secretary General – Head of the IPA CIS Council Secretariat Sergey Karavaev and Head of the IPA CIS IIMDD Expert Group Stanislav Tkachenko has started long-term monitoring of the election of deputies to the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The observers visited the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan, where they met with its Chair Zayniddin Nizamkhodjaev, as well as Commission members Gulnoza Rakhimova and Halmuhammed Paluaniyazov.

The CEC Chair informed observers about the preparations for the next parliamentary election in the Republic of Uzbekistan. He reported on the completion of the stage of formation and training of election commissions at all levels and the beginning of the campaign period.

Zayniddin Nizamkhodjaev paid special attention to the process of digitalisation of the main stages of the electoral process - for example, the filing of applications for registration by political parties and candidates nominated by them, as well as notification of the completion of the registration process and admission to the election campaign, and the conduct of campaign activities are organised remotely.

In response to a question of the IPA CIS observers about changes in the country’s electoral legislation related to the formation of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, the CEC Chair stressed that for the first time in the country’s history, election was being held under a mixed model, including the election of 75 deputies in majority constituencies, as well as the distribution of another 75 seats through voting for party lists. The five participating political parties of Uzbekistan have successfully registered all candidates nominated by them, who are now engaged in campaigning.

The members of the observer group also agreed on the cooperation between the group and the CEC of the Republic of Uzbekistan during the short-term election monitoring period.

Also today, the IPA CIS observers visited the Territorial Election Commission of Tashkent region in Nurafshon, where they met with Chair of the commission Ulugbek Tukhtaev and his colleagues.

The Commission is one of the largest regional structures responsible for holding elections at all levels. On the day of voting on 27 October 2024, in addition to the parliamentary election, regional and local elections will be held - the chair of the commission informed observers in detail about the formation of more than 1,000 precinct election commissions and the implementation of training and professional development programmes for their members.

Answering the question about the interaction of the Territorial Election Commission of Tashkent region with regional and local authorities, Ulugbek Tukhtaev positively assessed the cooperation with them, as well as with law enforcement agencies in preparation for the elections. The Territorial Election Commission of Tashkent pays special attention to equipping polling stations, access to voting premises for low mobility groups, and voting at special polling stations in military units and medical institutions.