By Professor Alimjon Akilov
The year 2016 for Uzbekistan was marked by the start of a fundamentally new in essence and content phase of state and social construction, in which the main strategic target was proclaimed – the construction of a New Uzbekistan, based on the values that served the greatest flourishing of our statehood in the 9th-10th centuries. At the same time, a new paradigm of ties between the individual and state was formed and is gradually being introduced, where the highest value is determined by the person, freedom, his life, dignity, honor, and other inalienable rights, and the principle of the supremacy of human rights is proclaimed.
This philosophy was also reflected in the development strategies of New Uzbekistan adopted during this period, where the basic principle of the state was laid: “Everything for the people, everything for the benefit of the people.” On the basis of this postulate, the main guideline for state policy and government bodies was determined: “It is not the person who serves the state, but the state that serves the person.”
For this aim, the legislative foundations of the system for ensuring the constitutional rights of nationals, formed at the dawn of independence, were completely reviewed..
One of the first steps of the President of Uzbekistan Sh.M. Mirziyoyev was the idea of the need to adopt an Electoral Code that would ensure convenient use by nationals of their voting rights, enshrined in numerous and disparate acts of legislation. As a result of modernization and systematization of 5 basic laws and many by-laws, departmental documents of the Central Election Commission of Uzbekistan, the Electoral Code of Uzbekistan was developed and came into force on June 26, 2019.
One of the main purposes and importance of the Electoral Code was to consolidate, firstly, of the following basic principles of electoral rights, which are fully consistent with global standards and the best democratic practices of developed nations. Secondly, the main principles of the electoral system of the country, including transparency and openness of polls. The aim of Uzbekistan-2030 Strategy is to creating a new look for the Uzbek parliament. “Reforms to organize public administration focused on serving the people and improve public administration” provide for a further increase in the role of the Oliy Majlis and political parties in the construction of the New Uzbekistan. At the initial stages it is planned:
firstly, to safeguard the digital transformation of the work processes of parliament and its bodies, including 100% digitalization of the processes of making and promulgating decisions;
secondly, to guarantee the option of electronic communication with voters, sending and monitoring deputy requests in electronic form;
thirdly, launch a procedure for submitting and considering suggestions for legislation;
fourthly, bring a mixed (majority-proportional) system of polls to representative bodies to further increase the role of political parties in the process of reforms and modernizing the nation. The last step is enshrined in the Electoral Code of Uzbekistan.
