On April 17, the Central Election Commission held a roundtable discussion on the “Specifics of Preparing and Holding a Constitutional Referendum in Uzbekistan” with a delegation of foreign participants at the international research to practice conference “The nature and meaning of constitutional reform: a new Uzbekistan - a renewed Constitution”.

The event, which was also attended by members of the Central Election Commission, representatives of District Referendum Commissions and other government officials, was organized to draw the attention of the international expert community to the extensive work on preparing and holding the referendum according to high democratic standards being done by the Central Election Commission, together with other government agencies and non-governmental organizations responsible for holding the referendum, and identifying further measures to improve referendum legislation and practice with the participation of international experts.

At the beginning of the round table, CEC Сhairperson, Zayniddin Nizamhodjaev informed the participants about the systematic and step-by-step work on the preparation and holding of the referendum.

Analyzing the history of work, Z. Nizamhodjaev noted that in accordance with Article 78 of the Constitution, the Legislative Chamber and the Senate at their plenary sessions considered the issue of holding a referendum on the Draft Constitutional Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan and set the date for holding the referendum on the Draft Constitutional Law on April 30, 2023.

It was noted that in accordance with Article 13 of the Law “On the Referendum of the Republic of Uzbekistan”, the Chambers of the Oliy Majlis approved the wording of the question to be put to the referendum and decided to formulate the question in the ballot of the upcoming referendum as follows: “Do you accept the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan 'On the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan'?".

The Chairperson of the Central Election Commission stressed that according to the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Law “On the Referendum of the Republic of Uzbekistan”, the Central Election Commission shall be responsible for organizing and holding the referendum in Uzbekistan, and informed the participants of the round table about the ongoing activities in this area.

The national speakers also presented their contributions to the discussion with the participants of the round table. A. Mansurov, Deputy Director General of UZINFOCOM LLC, spoke about the application of digital technologies in the electoral process and the creation of the Single Electronic List of Voters; A. Magrupov and P. Akhmedjanova, Chairpersons of the 14th Tashkent city and 8th Syrdarya District Referendum Commissions, reported on the organization of activities of the District Referendum Commissions.

The CEC Deputy Chairperson reported on the activities of the CEC to inform citizens and participants of the referendum, including through the mass media, on the preparation and holding of the referendum, on deadlines and procedures for voting, on measures for participation in the referendum, and on the legislation of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the referendum.

Foreign experts, in their turn, presented their views and recommendations for further strengthening of relations and development of international practical cooperation in the field of elections. During the discussion, they had the opportunity to directly discuss certain issues related to the preparation and holding of the referendum.