![]() ![]() The first article of the new draft says that Uzbekistan is a democratic, legal, social and secular state. This statement in the Preamble is irrelevant to the Constitution, which is not a historical document. For example, the proposed Preamble of the Constitution says that the history of Uzbekistan’s statehood covers a period of over 3,000 years, which is very debatable. Meanwhile, the articles that were in most need of amendment were not changed while articles that did not need to be amended were “improved” with certain additional paragraphs. In the spirit of Soviet public communication, it was surprisingly announced that 27 new articles were included and about 65 percent of the old Constitution was amended, thereby creating the impression that “the more amendments, the better.” When the final draft was ready, a substantial propaganda campaign was launched, which excluded any open critique concerning concrete articles and chapters. The referendum, expected to be held in 2022, was postponed and by the end of the year a new text of the Constitution was prepared. IMPLICATIONS: The President later announced that the process should not be rushed and that work on the draft should continue. This was the first negative reaction to the proposed draft Constitution, which revealed the overall poor-quality work of the Constitutional Commission. Protests occurred in Uzbekistan’s Karakalpak Autonomous Republic, where the local population did not accept the draft in which the sovereign republican status of this province was deleted. The first draft Constitution was prepared by June 2022 and published for public discussion. It was announced that a web portal was created to collect suggestions from citizens regarding the necessary amendments. Independent experts and civil society representatives were not involved in its work. A Constitutional Commission was set up consisting exclusively of deputies in Oliy Majlis (the parliament). ![]() ![]() ![]() He initiated a corresponding organizational and political process towards drafting the new text of the Constitution. In late 2021, Mirziyoev stated that Uzbekistan’s existing Constitution needs amendments reflecting the new reality and the new tasks the country is facing. In his December 2022 address to the parliament and to the people, Mirziyoev said, among other things, that a regime of “manual control” persisted in state governance, reflecting inefficiency of the entire political system where individuals, governors or the president, not institutions and rules, determine the course of policy. Rampant corruption, nepotism, a low level of qualification of officials, and in many instances a dysfunctional parliament caused political stagnation. Despite relatively successful economic reforms, Uzbekistan’s political regime has remained autocratic. He was re-elected for a second term in October 2021 and acquired substantial popularity as a reformist and a progressive leader in Uzbekistan as well as abroad. In December 2016 a new President – Shavkat Mirziyoev – was elected for a five-year term. In the 30 years since, Uzbekistan was often subjected to criticism for non-democratic governance, human rights abuses and violation of constitutional norms and other laws of the country. International experts and media positively evaluated that Constitution as a strong, cohesive and fundamental main law of the country, providing for democratic governance and basic human rights. It was symbolically called “Karimov’s Constitution” relating it to the first President of the new state, Islam Karimov. BACKGROUND: One year after gaining its independence – on Decem– Uzbekistan adopted its first Constitution as a newly independent state. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |