Uzbek Senate approves law on postponement of election date

The Senate of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan held its twelfth plenary session on February 5.

The senators discussed the creation of legal bases for the inclusion of citizens of Uzbekistan living abroad in the electoral register, regardless of whether they are registered at the consular register of diplomatic missions, as well as the possibility of using portable ballot boxes.

In addition, a new procedure is to be applied according to which observers must notify the precinct election commission at least three days before visiting polling stations established in places of detention and deprivation of liberty, in military units.

Changes are also to be made based on the recommendations of the OSCE/ODIHR. These include:

- exclusion of the powers of election commissions to facilitate meetings of candidates with voters;

- establishing a ban on the use of state resources during election campaigning;

- reducing the time limit for appealing decisions of election commissions from 10 to 5 days in order to prevent unjustified extension of the deadline for announcing election results;

- implementation of the procedure for the disclosure of interim and final financial statements of political parties.

In accordance with the current legislation, the elections of the President, the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis and local representative bodies are held respectively in the year of the expiration of the constitutional term of their powers — on the first Sunday of the third decade of December.

According to the amendments, elections are proposed to be held in October.