Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- The International Strategic Studies Association (ISSA) was asked to undertake an Election Monitoring Mission for the elections for the Uzbekistan Parliament (Oliy Majlis), and for regional and district bodies on December 22, 2019.

The elections marked a milestone for Uzbekistan’s transition to freer and more transparent elections. ISSA President Gregory Copley led the mission, which spent a week in the lead-up to the election inspecting polling stations and reviewing procedures in many areas of the country, including the capital, Tashkent, and in the Ferghana Valley region as well as in the autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan in the north-west.

The full ISSA report highlighted the success of the elections, which were highly transparent and reflective of the voters’ intent. The mission also met with the leadership and faculty at the Academy of the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan, who presented ISSA with a memento of the visit. And the mission also met with key academic leaders in the area of geopolitical, diplomatic, and strategic studies attached to the Uzbek Presidency. The visit followed a significant report by ISSA’s Defense & Foreign Affairs team on the strategic balance in Central Asia. Click here for full report.

The December 22, 2019, election was able to elect 128 of the 150 seats in the Legislative Chamber (lower house) of the Oliy Majlis, with the remaining 22 seats requiring a run-off election two weeks later. The ISSA Mission report said that the elections were free, fair, and transparent, a finding echoed by other major election observer bodies.

 The Liberal Democratic Party, which was the major party in the Assembly in the outgoing Parliament, dominated the first round of voting, with 43 seats. Five parties contested the election.