Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – On 9 July, the Committee of the Senate on Judicial-Legal Affairs and Anti-Corruption discussed laws developed as a result of constitutional reforms.

The meeting was attended by chairpersons of the permanent commissions of local councils, members of the Youth Parliament, members of the expert group at the Committee, initiators of the laws, representatives of responsible ministries and agencies, and media representatives.

During the Committee meeting, the Constitutional Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan" was preliminarily discussed.

It was noted that the duties and powers of state bodies are clearly defined in the Constitution in its new edition, which contributes to further development of the political system, strengthens the state structure, enhances the efficiency of public administration, and ensures coherence in relations between different branches of government.

Issues related to the status of the Cabinet of Ministers, the procedure for its formation, and regulation of its activities are directly based on the norms enshrined in the Constitution, and the main provisions of this Law derive from these norms. Therefore, it is proposed to adopt the Law "On the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan" in the form of a Constitutional Law.

During the discussion, senators emphasized that the adoption of this Constitutional Law serves the implementation of new, effective methods and modern mechanisms for organizing the work of the Cabinet of Ministers, enhancing the personal responsibility of government members for implementing state policies and achieving specific results in designated areas.

Subsequently, participants discussed the Law "On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan."

Senators noted that amending the Constitution with several provisions aimed at ensuring reliable protection of human rights necessitates a review of existing legislative acts.

In this regard, it was highlighted that the norms of 26 legislative acts (6 codes and 20 laws) are brought into compliance with the norms established by Article 19 of the updated Constitution.

Moreover, based on the constitutional guarantees provided by Article 81 of the Constitution, amendments are introduced to the Law "On Mass Media." It establishes that "mass media in the Republic of Uzbekistan are free and operate in accordance with the law," and "the state guarantees the right to property of mass media, protecting them from unlawful actions (inaction) of state bodies."

It was emphasized that amending the Labour Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the Law "On State Civil Service" with a provision excluding discrimination based on the criminal record of relatives is crucial for implementing constitutional guarantees. Overall, the introduced changes serve the implementation of norms of the Constitution in its new edition.

Senators and meeting participants expressed various opinions on these laws.

At the conclusion of the meeting, relevant decisions of the Committee were adopted based on the opinions of senators on the discussed issues.