The law draft will receive final Senate approval on February 5.
The next presidential election in Uzbekistan may be held on October 24, 2021, which is two months earlier than provided for by current legislation. The lower house has already approved an initiative to amend the electoral legislation. The final vote will take place on February 5 in the upper house — the Senate of the Parliament of Uzbekistan, as reported by the press office of the Legislative Chamber of the government body.
The decision to postpone the election date was made because later elections, in the third decade of December, delay the work of the government. Elections after the expiration of the constitutional term of the president, deputies, and other local representatives of government bodies delay the adoption of important national programs and events, government appointments, budget approval, political and government decisions.
The new bill also includes other reforms. Perhaps, the institution of district election commissions will be abolished, their powers will be directly transferred to the district (city) election commissions.
Some changes were made based on the recommendations of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights. For example, election commissions will not be responsible for organizing meetings of candidates with voters. It is not ruled out that the term for appealing election decisions will be reduced from 10 to 5 days.
Currently, working groups of the parliament are finalizing regulations and additional articles to the law draft.
