At the regular meeting of the Central Election Commission on 8 October this year, the organization of early voting for voters, additional measures to guarantee the voting rights of people with disabilities and the accreditation of observers from abroad were discussed, among other things.
The meeting adopted a Resolution of the Central Election Commission on the organization of early voting from October 16 to 23, 2024 for voters who cannot be at their place of residence on Election Day.
The time on the days of early voting at polling stations is set from 9:00 to 18:00 on weekdays and from 11:00 to 17:00 on weekends. In addition, it is established that early voting at polling stations established in diplomatic and other representations of the Republic of Uzbekistan abroad shall be held from 9:00 to 18:00 local time in the country where these polling stations are located.
The Election Code and the Law on the Rights of People with Disabilities contain provisions on creating the necessary conditions for citizens with disabilities to exercise all their constitutional rights, including the equal and free exercise of the right to vote with other citizens.
In the elections to be held on October 27 this year, 11 persons with disabilities were registered as candidates for the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis and 605 for the local Councils (Kengashes).
The fact that 1,343 persons with disabilities are working in the election commissions also shows that equal opportunities have been created for them in the upcoming elections.
To further ensure the constitutional rights of people with disabilities in the upcoming elections, more than 830,000 voters with disabilities will also be assisted by volunteers.
In order to create the necessary conditions for people with disabilities to exercise their right to vote, the meeting discussed and made a decision on the approval of a model stencil based on the Braille alphabet for filling in ballot papers, the installation of specially equipped booths for secret voting, optical magnifiers (magnifying glasses) and additional lighting in polling stations for people with disabilities, as well as the organization of voting for voters who cannot get to the polling station themselves at their place of residence.
In addition, by decision of the Central Election Commission, a total of 36 foreign and international observers were accredited, in particular 19 representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Turkic States, two representatives each of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, Russia and China, three representatives of the USA and one representative each of Great Britain, Latvia, Lithuania, France, India and Japan.
Other issues relating to the preparation and conduct of the elections were also discussed at the meeting and corresponding decisions were made.
Central Election Commission Press Service
