Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) —  The parliamentary elections in Uzbekistan, held on 27 October, took place against a backdrop of ongoing reforms, including constitutional amendments. However, the political environment remained constrained, failing to provide voters with a genuine choice, according to a preliminary statement from the OSCE ODIHR released today.

Despite ongoing reforms, fundamental freedoms remain disproportionately restricted both legally and in practice, the statement noted.

"These elections were conducted under a new mixed electoral system, reflecting significant constitutional amendments and a revised electoral code as part of Uzbekistan’s reform efforts," stated Mr. Azay Guliyev, special coordinator and leader of the OSCE’s short-term observers. "While these reforms represent a step forward in human rights, significant challenges remain in the implementation of fundamental freedoms, particularly the rights to association, peaceful assembly, and freedom of expression."

Although the laws governing elections have gradually evolved and the elections were technically well-prepared, serious issues remain regarding compliance with international standards in areas such as the registration of political parties, the right to run for office, transparency in campaign financing, civic observation, and the publication of results at polling stations.

All five registered political parties were able to campaign freely under legally guaranteed equal conditions; however, their campaigns were subdued and did not pose a real challenge to the ruling party’s policies or to each other. Media coverage was limited due to restrictions on freedom of expression, leading to minimal access for voters to diverse viewpoints. A positive aspect was the significant representation of women among candidates and in the electoral administration.

"In a situation where the five registered parties support government policies, voters did not receive genuine alternatives. This underscores the need to create a more dynamic and competitive political environment to truly represent the voice of citizens," stated Sargis Handanyan, haead of the OSCE PA delegation. "At the same time, increasing the gender quota for parliamentary candidates is a positive step. We hope this will further enhance women’s participation in public and political life in line with OSCE commitments."

Changes in election-related laws include a revised electoral system, new rules for party list registration, amended rules for managing electoral bodies, and an increased gender quota, but the relatively short timeframe for implementing these changes raised questions about their compliance with international practices.

The country’s media laws contain broad and poorly defined provisions regarding religious extremism, public order violations, and misinformation, thereby failing to provide legal clarity and unjustifiably restricting the right to freedom of expression. Defamation and insult remain criminal offenses, with imprisonment prescribed for public slander and insults against the president.

Moreover, unjustified external interference in editorial freedom and a limited advertising market hinder open discussion and independent journalism, leading to widespread self-censorship. State television and print media provided free airtime and space for candidates as required by law. Private channels organized pre-election debates but provided only limited news coverage and virtually no analysis of the election campaigns.

Election preparations at all levels were organized efficiently, and the Central Election Commission regularly conducted live broadcasts of its meetings and promptly published its decisions, contributing to transparency. Despite previous ODIHR recommendations, the independence of lower electoral commissions remained negatively affected by the significant role of makhallas — local self-governance bodies closely linked to state and local authorities in various aspects of the electoral process.

Election day proceeded calmly and in an organized manner; however, it was marred by numerous violations and abuses, as well as procedural and technical problems. Important guarantees were repeatedly ignored during voting, vote counting, and tabulation, raising questions about the integrity of the process and undermining transparency.

"The authorities of Uzbekistan have partially taken into account some previous ODIHR recommendations through recent legislative changes," said Douglas Wake, head of the ODIHR election observation mission. "However, given the issues identified by our observers during voting, vote counting, and tabulation, further efforts are needed to enhance transparency and trust in the officially announced voter turnout and results. ODIHR looks forward to continued cooperation with the authorities of Uzbekistan, including on recommendations that will be outlined in our final report."

A total of 875 candidates from the five registered political parties were registered.

The legislation retains burdensome requirements for party registration, as well as broad legal grounds for denying registration and suspending party activities. The legislative framework also does not allow for the participation of independent candidates, limiting pluralism and political competition.

For these elections, the gender quota for women was increased from 30 to 40 percent. In the outgoing Legislative Chamber, women hold 47 out of 150 seats and constitute 45 percent of the candidates. Additionally, the Speaker of the Senate, one of the seven Deputy Speakers of the Legislative Chamber, and one of the four Deputy Prime Ministers are women.

Despite ongoing efforts to increase women’s participation in public and political life, women remain underrepresented in leadership positions. Only two of the 27 ministers and three of the 12 members of the Supreme Judicial Council are women. All regional governors (hokims) are men.

Regulations regarding campaign financing lack clarity and do not promote transparency, failing to provide effective oversight and public monitoring. Campaign financing is exclusively allocated from the state budget and only to registered political parties with approved candidate lists.

International organizations, political parties, makhallas, and accredited media have the right to observe elections.

The Central Election Commission registered 851 international observers. Despite previous ODIHR recommendations, the legislation does not contain provisions for civic observers during elections.