The election campaign for the election of members of parliament and local Councils, which will be held on October 27 this year, will start on September 22, 2024. This was announced at the Central Electoral Commission meeting on September 20.

The participants considered issues related to the registration of candidates for deputies to the Legislative Chamber nominated by political parties and the election campaigning of parties and candidates for deputies.

This year, seventy-five out of one hundred and fifty deputies will be elected to the lower house of parliament from single-mandate constituencies based on votes cast by voters for specific candidates. The remaining seventy-five are based on a list of candidates nominated by political parties (that is, on party lists) in proportion to the number of votes cast for political parties in a single electoral district.

At the meeting, a decision was made to register candidates nominated by the Movement of Entrepreneurs and Businesspeople – the Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan, the Democratic Party of Uzbekistan “Milliy Tiklanish”, the Ecological Party of Uzbekistan, the People’s Democratic Party of Uzbekistan and the Social Democratic Party of Uzbekistan “Adolat” in single-mandate constituencies. In accordance with this, 375 candidates for the Legislative Chamber nominated by five political parties in single-mandate constituencies were registered.

In addition, the Central Election Commission adopted relevant decisions to register 500 candidates on party lists nominated by these political parties for deputies of the Legislative Chamber in a single electoral district.

As noted at the meeting, among the candidates nominated by political parties to the Legislative Chamber, the number of women was 391, or 44.7 percent of the total number of candidates. This is the highest figure in the history of the country’s elections. The candidates have become significantly “younger” compared to the previous elections. The average age of candidates for deputies to the Legislative Chamber is 47.2 years. Of these, 44.2 percent are under 45 years old, another 44.3 percent are 45-60, and the youngest candidates are 25.

99.3 percent of candidates have higher education. Among the candidates, economists make up 20.2 percent, teachers 27.9 percent, engineers 7.9 percent, doctors 9.1 percent, lawyers 16.5 percent, entrepreneurs, farmers and representatives of other spheres 18.4 percent.

At the meeting, it was noted that regional, district, and city election commissions have registered candidates for local Councils, and information about them has been provided.

In addition, the participants considered the issue of starting the pre-election campaign of political parties and candidates for deputies of the Legislative Chamber and local Councils. The resolution stipulates that the pre-election campaign of candidates for deputies and political parties for elections to the Legislative Chamber and local Councils will begin on September 22, 2024.

Relevant decisions were made on the issues discussed at the meeting.

Mukhtarama Komilova, UzA