Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) -- On 4 May 2023, at a regular plenary session of the Senate, senators discussed the Law "On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan".

During the discussions, it was noted that the Law is aimed at improving the status of citizens’ self-government bodies and the electoral system, strengthening the legal guarantees for election participants, including eliminating legal gaps in the electoral legislation for elections to local Kengashes.

The law establishes the procedure for financing in the annual local budgets of expenses related to the preparation and holding of elections of deputies instead of retired ones, as well as the powers of the Central Election Commission in this process.

These changes create conditions for the effective organization of the activities of representative bodies, the comprehensive exercise by citizens of the constitutional rights to participate in managing the affairs of the state and society through their representatives.

The senators also stressed that, in accordance with Article 128 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the new version of the legislation defines additional guarantees aimed at ensuring the rights to participate in elections and referendums of persons held in places of detention for grave and especially grave crimes.

It was noted that the Law further strengthens the legal foundations for the activities of citizens’ gatherings. In particular, in accordance with Article 127 of the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the Law cites the norms of individual legislative acts relating to the status of citizens’ self-government bodies and the chairman of a citizens’ gathering.

The senators emphasized that the Law also eliminates some legal gaps related to the procedure for holding elections of deputies of local Kengashes instead of retired and in newly formed administrative-territorial units.

During the plenary session, it was noted that the new norms and procedures proposed by the Law correspond to the experience of foreign countries of the European Union, Georgia, the Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Armenia, Ukraine.

During the discussions, it was emphasized that the Law complies with the requirements of international standards, in particular, the recommendations of the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the requirements of the Convention on Standards for Democratic Elections, Electoral Rights and Freedoms.

Senators noted that the law serves to improve the electoral system, strengthen legal guarantees for election participants, further strengthen the legal foundations for the activities of citizens’ gatherings and participation in a referendum.

At the end of the discussions, the senators approved the Law “On Amendments and Additions to Certain Legislative Acts of the Republic of Uzbekistan”.