Uzbekistan parties supporting President Mirziyoyev win parliamentary elections as country undergoes reforms

The election was widely observed domestically and internationally, as the country aims to demonstrate its commitment to a transparent and open political process.

The elections were observed by more than 850 foreign and international observers. The elections were also directly observed by 55,000   observers from political parties and more than 10,000 observers from self-governing bodies of citizens.

 

The political landscape in Uzbekistan has experienced notable changes over the last several years.

One key development was a nationwide referendum held in April 2024, which approved constitutional changes extending presidential terms from five to seven years and resetting Mirziyoyev’s term count, effectively allowing him to potentially stay in power until 2040.

In this parliamentary election, five officially registered political parties vied for seats -- the Liberal Democratic Party, the People's Democratic Party, the Milliy Tiklanish (National Revival) Democratic Party, the Adolat (Justice) Social Democratic Party, and the Ecological Party -- and all these parties were competing on an equal footing for the support of the 21.2 million registered voters.

The government had pledged that the elections would be transparent, with over 50,000 observers, including international monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS).

President Mirziyoyev has promised further reforms aimed at reducing corruption, improving judicial independence, and boosting foreign investment.

  Electronic voting introduced

With the help of the ‘E-saylov’ information system launched in preparation for the elections, many electoral processes were digitized, bureaucratic obstacles were dramatically reduced, and transparency was increased.

For the first time in the country's history, electronic voting was conducted on election day at some polling stations in Tashkent as an experiment.

To broadcast the election process in real time (online), video cameras that meet the necessary technical requirements were installed at polling stations in the districts and cities of our country on election day.
 

A govt official in Fergana explains the polling system in Uzbekistan. Photo by Sujoy Dhar

 

This made it possible to observe the voting process online on the screens of the press center of the Central Election Commission, the official website saylov.uz, as well as on Uzbekistan 24 and other TV channels of the National Television and Radio Company of Uzbekistan.

Millions of citizens watched the video broadcast from the polling stations.

During the election campaign, a media platform was created in the Press Center of the Central Election Commission and its territorial branches for all participants in the election process, where hundreds of press conferences, seminars, briefings, interviews, and meetings were held. All this made it possible to organize preparations for the elections and their conduct at the level of high democratic principles, fully implement the electoral rights of citizens, and ensure the active participation of political parties in the formation of state authorities.

 

A polling centre in Fergana all set for holding the ballots. Photo by Sujoy Dhar

A total of 15,027,529 voters cast their ballots in the elections to the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan and local Kengashes (Councils) of People's Deputies. This is 74.72 percent of the total number of citizens who voted.

The candidate who received the largest number of votes of voters who took part in the voting in single-mandate constituencies in relation to other candidates is considered elected.

The party affiliation of the 75 deputies elected to the Legislative Chamber in single-mandate constituencies is as follows:

38 people were elected as deputies from the Movement of Entrepreneurs and Businessmen - the Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan,

15 people from "Milliy Tiklanish" Democratic Party of Uzbekistan,

6 people from the Ecological Party of Uzbekistan

7 people from the People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan

9 people from "Adolat" Social Democratic Party of Uzbekistan.

An election debate by representatives of all the five parties ahead of polls. Photo by Sujoy Dhar

 

The party affiliation of a total of 150 deputies elected to the Legislative Chamber by two electoral systems, i.e. by votes cast for candidates for deputies and for parties, is as follows:

The Movement of Entrepreneurs and Businessmen - Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan - 64 seats or 42.7 percent,

"Milliy Tiklanish" Democratic Party of Uzbekistan - 29 seats or 19.3 percent,

"Adolat" Social Democratic Party of Uzbekistan - 21 seats or 14 percent,

The People's Democratic Party of Uzbekistan - 20 seats or 13.3 percent,

The Ecological Party of Uzbekistan - 16 seats or 10.7 percent.

No reports or information on cases of gross violations of the legislation on elections of representative bodies of state power have been received.

"The elections to the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis (national parliament) of the Republic of Uzbekistan and and local Kengashes (Councils) of people's deputies held on October 27 once again demonstrated that the Uzbek people are acting unitedly and in mutual solidarity in the name of building a democratic state governed by the rule of law and the formation of a civil society, further improving the well-being of the population and achieving the high goals set," the government said in a media release.