UZBEKISTAN Mirziyoyev (orally) wants more opposition

In his speech at the inauguration of the new Parliament, the president of Uzbekistan calls for “a healthy confrontation between opposing opinions” and rules for the representation of minority parties, in a country where groups truly opposed to the government are excluded from electoral competitions. Women and young people increase among local deputies.

Tashkent () – The president of Uzbekistan, Šavkat Mirziyoyev, has opened the first session of the Oryz Mažilis, the parliament of the republic in the new legislature after the early elections that followed the constitutional changes and the re-election of the president himself for a term seven years old. According to the undisputed leader since 2016 – the year he rose to power after a quarter of a century of the post-Soviet dictator Islam Karimov – “more opposition is needed in Parliament.”

To achieve this, the president has proposed increasing the “guaranteed seats” for opponents from three to six, giving each representative of the formally opposition parties a presidency of a parliamentary committee, and at least two vice-presidencies in the other committees. Mirziyoyev believes that “if healthy competition and confrontation between opposing points of view is transferred from the electoral campaign to the halls of the legislative chamber, this will undoubtedly help to draft laws that serve the interests of the people.”

In fact, he points out that “in the last elections, the programs and ideas of the political parties differed from each other, there was an evident struggle between the different political ideologies”, without specifying in detail these most representative differences, since the groups that really oppose the president’s policies are not admitted to electoral competitions. For Mirziyoyev, “in the new era that has opened, Parliament must become the true house of the people, and the Chamber a creative place to generate ideas through constructive discussion and debate.”

Priorities were then established on which to “unleash the creative energies of all parts of Uzbek society”, starting with the strengthening of a general health insurance system. There is also a great need for investment support, especially for the construction of schools and kindergartens, the development of legal bases for the most innovative financial technologies, help for start-ups and franchises, the development of regulations for the use of artificial intelligence and the expansion of market mechanisms to the energy sector.

The president was pleased that the Lower House of the Mažilis, the one in charge of preparing the bills, has been renewed by 60%, with 87 new deputies compared to 63 re-elected. Of them, 11 are under 35 years old, and 38% of the total deputies are women, “the highest indicator in all of Central Asia.” For the first time in the history of Uzbekistan, a citizen with disabilities won a mandate.

The speaker of Parliament was confirmed in the person of Nuriddin Ismailov, who had held the position since 2015, and there will only be two vice-presidents instead of the previous seven. Two representatives of the Liberal Democratic Party, Mavluda Khodžaeva and Rakhimžon Khakimov, have been appointed to these positions. During the period of vice presidency, they will suspend their participation in the party and will not be able to be members of the corresponding parliamentary group.

The Senate, the “Upper House” of Olij Mažilis, also took office in recent days, bringing together four representatives from each region of the country instead of the previous six, reducing the total number of senators from 100 to 65. Furthermore Of the politicians representing the regional administrations, the President added 9 senators of his own appointment, among them the youngest of all, Ališer Sadullaev, 30 years old.

According to data from the Electoral Commission, 56.6% of the members of the Senate are over 60 years old, and 41.6% between 40 and 60 years old. According to tradition, the president of Žokargi Keneš, the parliament of the autonomous region of Karakalpakstan, was added to the Senate, along with the governors of regions throughout Uzbekistan and the mayor of the capital, Tashkent. Finally, Parliament once again confirmed Abdulla Aripov as prime minister, at the suggestion of Mirziyoyev, who explained that the country “is entering a new stage of its development with many responsibilities, and we will no longer have to work with the criteria of the past.” », pointing to Aripov as the «new leader».