Briefing at the Embassy on the upcoming elections to the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan

As part of the regular meeting of the Executive Board of the British-Uzbek Society in late November 2009, Ambassador of Uzbekistan Otabek Akbarov briefed the participants on the preparations for the parliamentary elections, which will be held for the first time since the establishment of a bicameral Parliament in our country. 

Noting that the elections will be attended by 5 political parties of Uzbekistan - National Democratic Party, Liberal Democratic Party, Democratic Party "Milliy Tiklanish" (National Revival), the Social Democratic Party “Adolat” (Justice) and the Environmental Movement, a brief information was given about each of them, including objectives and priorities.

The attention of participants was drawn to an increase in the number of seats in the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis from 120 to 150, due to the rising role of Parliament in the political life of the country. Of these, 135 are provided to parliamentarians from 4 political parties and 15 seats to the deputies elected from the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan.

During the discussion, the chairman of the British-Uzbek Society Dr. Hartley Booth praised the increase in the number of deputies of the Legislative Chamber, calling it an innovation, which reflects the generally accepted international practices and standards. Having showed great interest in the structural composition of the present parliament of Uzbekistan, he was glad to learn about the strong positions of the Liberal Democratic Party, representing the interests of entrepreneurs and business people.

Senior Research Fellow at Cambridge Central Asia Forum, Dr. Shirin Akiner expressed the view that "the distinguishing feature of the political philosophy of Uzbekistan is that the parties do not act as belligerents, but rather complementary groups that protect the interests of  particular category of citizens. This approach is very constructive and progressive in the context of historical and cultural development of Uzbekistan. Western models, which have been developed in line with other traditions, based on acute and mutually excluding inter-party confrontation. More important is to maintain a mutually beneficial consensus, rather than "heat" contradictions, based sometimes on diametrically opposed ideologies. Unfortunately, in the West a different political culture is often underestimated and sometimes simply misunderstood."

In support of her words the Chairman of the Cambridge Central Asia Forum Dr. Siddhardh Saxena said that, - ”the political philosophy of each country varies depending on its unique culture, values and historical development. Therefore it is impossible to impose the same political model on all. Some countries are successfully operating with two-party system, others – on a multi-party basis. The presence of the bitter struggle among parties is not a prerequisite", - noted british scientist.

Chief Financial Officer of the «Oxus Gold» company Mr. Richard Wilkins, who is also the Vice-chairman of the British-Uzbek Society, noted that "the allocation of a fixed number of seats in Parliament for representatives of the “green movement” is a very important decision, demonstrating the priority given by the state to environmental affairs”.

Prepared jointly with the Information Agency "Jahon", 
London, December 15, 2009