Uzbekistan is on the verge of a major political process - the election of deputies of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis and deputies of local councils. Elections are of great importance in the implementation of the program tasks of the democratic reforms implemented in our country, strategic development for the near and far future.
Uzbekistan is on the verge of a major political process - the election of deputies of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis and deputies of local councils. Elections are of great importance in the implementation of the program tasks of the democratic reforms implemented in our country, strategic development for the near and far future.
The next meeting of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan held on September 20, 2019 was dedicated to this great event.
At the meeting, the Central Election Commission designated December 22, 2019 as the day of election of deputies of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan and deputies of local councils. It was announced that the election campaign will start on September 20.
The elections to be held on December 22, 2019 will be completely different from previous elections. First of all, in this year's elections, according to the constitutional provisions and international election standards, the composition of the representative bodies of the legislative power of Uzbekistan and local state power will be renewed based on the principle of periodicity.
The new elections, firstly, the political and legal consciousness and culture of citizens are rising, secondly, the pre-election platforms of political parties are becoming more diverse and focused on solving important problems in the life of society and the state, and thirdly, the mass media as a literal "fourth power". is taking its place, most importantly, it is directly related to the fact that great attention is being paid to the principles of openness and transparency in the development of all sectors in our country.
In Uzbekistan, which has entered a new, democratic stage of its development, an election campaign has begun in a new spirit to elect deputies to the new parliament and new local councils. This year's elections will be another vivid manifestation of the progressive democratic ideas expressed in the Action Strategy for five important priority areas of our country's development. At the moment, these elections are an integral part of large-scale, rapid reforms being implemented in Uzbekistan in all spheres, including political-legal, social, economic, cultural, spiritual-educational directions.
Such a consistent and bold policy of our state is bearing its high results. The world community widely recognizes the growing influence of Uzbekistan and strives to expand comprehensive cooperation with our country. The principles of multi-partyism, political pluralism, diversity of opinions, openness and transparency, and tolerance are gaining a stronger and wider place in the life of our society.
I would like to emphasize that the signing of the law on the implementation of the Election Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on June 25, 2019 was a huge event in the socio-political, economic, legal, spiritual and educational life of our country.
This year, the elections to the parliament and local councils of people's deputies will be held for the first time on the basis of the new Election Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and for the first time five political parties have the right to nominate their candidates. These are the Democratic Party "National Revival", the People's Democratic Party, the Movement of Entrepreneurs and Businessmen - the Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan, the Social Democratic Party "Adolat" and the Ecological Party of Uzbekistan.
Preparation for the elections is being carried out in the conditions of the democratization of the society, the socio-political activity of citizens, the role of political parties and civil society institutions, and the modernization of the electoral system of our country is accelerating. In this regard, cooperation with international organizations, including the UN, the SCO, the CIS, and especially the OSCE Bureau for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, is bearing fruit. The upcoming elections were evaluated by this Bureau as an important political event in the transition of our country to democracy.
This year's elections in Uzbekistan will be held on the basis of universally recognized international election principles - universality, equality, freedom, fairness, secrecy, openness and accountability. This means that every vote is taken into account and every citizen directly participates in the formation of representative bodies of state power, one voter is one vote. This means that openness, openness and transparency in elections in Uzbekistan are widely ensured. B
it means that election commissions of all levels - from precinct election commissions to the Central Election Commission - perform their work based on the highest democratic principles.
For this, Uzbekistan has created all the legal bases and opportunities: the national election legislation, which has implemented the generally recognized international election standards and norms, there are many years of national experience in conducting elections, modern information and communication technologies, and qualified personnel.
The most important thing is that the leadership of Uzbekistan has great loyalty to national traditions and ideas of modern democracy, as well as strong political will. Social-political, economic, legal, spiritual-educational, democratic environment and principles are firmly established in the society.
The Central Election Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan and election commissions at all levels organize their work in the process of preparing for and conducting elections according to the principles of openness, transparency and transparency. A clear proof of this is the launch of the International Press Center of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan, equipped with modern information and communication technologies, on the day of the election campaign. The opening of the center was attended by members of election commissions of various levels, leaders of political parties, representatives of our country and foreign mass media, civil society institutions. It should be noted that regional divisions of the International Press Center have also started work. They are also staffed by journalists, scientists and experts with extensive experience in the field of elections. Representatives of the mass media, observers, including international observers, ordinary voters - whoever wants to - can get answers to their questions related to not only the election processes, but also the current development, history and prospects of our country from the 24-hour call center at the International Press Center.
At this point, let me briefly touch on how preparations for the upcoming elections in our country are underway. First of all, laws in the field of elections were brought into a single document, and a detailed, concise and unified Election Code was developed that meets international norms and standards. After a detailed discussion of the project with the participation of the general public, national and international experts, the Parliament of the country adopted the Election Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, which consists of 18 chapters and 103 articles.
Another important innovation is that the Election Process Management Information System (SMBAT) and the Single Electronic Voters' List (SYAER) are being introduced into the national election system of Uzbekistan. The training and retraining of personnel for electoral bodies is also being improved at the level of modern requirements. This information system was tested in December 2017 in the city of Tashkent during the election of district councils of People's Deputies as a legal experiment and was highly evaluated by local and foreign experts.
To improve the knowledge and skills of candidates for election commissions at all levels according to the program of main activities for preparing for the elections to the Oliy Majlis, People's Deputies regional, district and city councils to be held in December 2019, approved by the decision of the Central Election Commission No. 913 of May 27, 2019 It is also worth noting that the work aimed at is organized in an 8-step "cascade" style, that is, in a way that expands and improves from top to bottom. After all, such a systematic and large-scale training of election activists who directly participate in the process of organizing and conducting elections was launched for the first time in the history of our country. More than 16,000 constituencies and polling stations are planned for this year's elections. Until now, 70 national trainers and 748 groups of "district trainers" have been formed in the regions. So far, about 51,000 chairmen, deputies and secretaries of election commissions have been trained by these trainers. About 170,000 members of election commissions will improve their knowledge and skills at seminars and trainings on organizing and holding elections.
It should be noted that the leading scientists and experts of the centers of science specializing in electoral rights in our capital, professors and teachers of local higher education institutions in the regions, and experienced experts in the field of justice were involved in the seminars and trainings. In seminars and trainings, the responsible employees of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan are conducting extensive explanatory work on the issues of electoral legislation and their practical application.
At the same time, a special "Election-2019" mobile application was developed for the members of election commissions to use quickly and
rur is being filled with information. There is a special Telegram messenger channel.
Development and adoption of new regulatory legal documents - instructions, regulations and statutes on the organization and conduct of elections according to the Election Code adopted this year - is one of the most important directions of work carried out by the Central Election Commission. Before the start of the election campaign, more than ten documents were adopted in this regard. At the same time, by the Central Election Commission, the National Television and Radio Company of Uzbekistan, the National Information Agency of Uzbekistan - UzA, the "Dunyo" news agency, the National Association of Electronic Mass Media, the Oliy Majlis Legislative Chamber with the "Uzreport" news agency, People's Deputies of regions, districts and cities Bilateral agreements were signed on preparing for the elections of the councils and covering the processes of their holding.
Such mutual cooperation agreements were also signed with the Committee of Women and Girls of Uzbekistan and the Central Council of the Youth Union of Uzbekistan. The agreements set concrete measures to increase the legal culture of women and young people, especially young men and women who vote for the first time, to ensure their active participation in elections and voting.
All the necessary measures are being taken to increase the activity of citizens with disabilities in the voting process. The location of the precinct election commission should be fully convenient for voters with disabilities to come and go to the polling place, including by transport, enter and exit, move inside the building, and vote freely and without obstacles (carriages or special devices are installed, special cabins) , special attention is paid to the special needs of voters with disabilities (sign language, subtitles, printing in braille) in conducting pre-election campaign by preparing and distributing printed, visual, audio-visual and other campaign materials of the political party and candidates for deputies, holding meetings with voters .
Thousands of representatives of political parties, local self-government bodies, international organizations and foreign countries operating in our country, journalists, including foreign journalists, are involved in the preparation and conduct of the elections to the parliament and local councils of our country, including the voting process of voters. people follow directly.
When it comes to observers of international organizations, we need to mention one number. About thirty observers of the limited mission of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights participated in the previous parliamentary elections, and about three hundred representatives of the Office are expected to monitor our hot elections this year. According to preliminary data, the mission will include a core group, as well as 30 long-term and 250 short-term observers. The function of long-term observers is to observe the various stages of the election process in the regions, while the short-term observers observe voting in the districts to which they are attached on the day of the election.
Elections are always a special test. For the country, for the electorate and voters, for the organizers of the event, and for journalists. Because, as the head of our state noted, "first of all, our worldview, political and legal culture, and citizenship position of all of us will be revealed in the election process."
Mirzo Ulug'bek ABDUSALOMOV,
Central Republic of Uzbekistan
chairman of the election commission.
