Four parties ran in the elections and 150 deputies will be elected to the legislative assembly, the lower house of parliament. This is a first in the history of the country.In the elections, voters cast votes to elect 135 seats of the legislative assembly, allocated to the political parties. The remaining 15 seats are directly allocated to the Uzbekistan Environment (Ecology) Movement starting from the elections of Dec. 24. This is a political platform that unites a multitude of environmentalist movements and organizations in Uzbekistan.
The Uzbekistan Environment Movement held a party congress to conduct the election of 15 deputies from among its 750 delegates. A total of 135 candidates ran for a deputy post from the Liberal Democratic Party, established in 2003 and home to 162,000 members. A full 134 candidates ran from the National Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (NDPU), established in 1991 and boasting 365,000 members. Another 125 ran from the Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (Milli Tıklanış [National Rebirth]), re-established after a merger with the Sacrificial National Democratic Party in 2008 and with 108,000 members. Also, 123 candidates were put forward by the Justice Social Democratic Party, which was established in 1995 and which has 77,000 members.
The voter participation rate came out to 87.8 percent and the deputies of 94 of 135 constituencies were voted in. The Liberal Democratic Party, the Democratic Party of Uzbekistan, the NDPU and the Justice Social Democratic Party won 33, 26, 20 and 15 seats, respectively. In 41 constituencies, none of the candidates were able to surpass the 50 percent threshold; so a second round will be held with the participation of two candidates with the highest number of votes in two weeks. One hundred senators of the senate, which is the upper chamber of the Uzbek parliament, will be elected from the local assembly members who were elected on Dec. 24. A total of 250 observers from 36 countries monitored the elections won by the Liberal Democratic Party. The parliamentary elections held in 2004 had been monitored by 228 observers from 32 countries.
The parties that attended the elections were known supporters of President Islam Kerimov. Uzbekistan is defined by the Euro-Atlantic world as one of the world’s most repressive regimes. Countries in the East -- such as the Russian Federation, China and South Korea -- and international organizations -- such the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), and Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) -- do not care about Uzbekistan’s perspective on human rights or democracy. They seem to be satisfied with strategic or economic ties. However, neither the Eastern perspective nor the Western perspective is sufficient to understand Uzbekistan. It is true that Uzbekistan does not have a Western-type democracy, but, the fact that it does not have a Western-style democracy does not make Uzbekistan a backward, antidemocratic or totalitarian country. Likewise, it is resorting to convenience to suffice oneself with strategic or economic ties with Uzbekistan.
In order to understand Uzbekistan, we need to realize that it is a country that has established statecraft traditions in Central Asia and that has had an urban culture for centuries and that has produced durable works of art in many areas, ranging from architecture to painting, and that has raised many scientists and scholars.
We need to know that Uzbekistan is the most densely populated (30 million), most cultured and most commercially capable nation in Central Asia. We should understand that the Uzbek people tend to make sense of the 21st century based on the legacy of their khanates, Czarist Russia and Soviet Union eras. We should be able to analyze correctly how Uzbekistan managed to maintain its stability in a hardship-laden geography with its dynamic and young population and how it could recompense for the collapse of the Soviet Union without any natural assets.
Democracy does not consist only of a multi-party system. It also comprises nongovernmental organizations and their dynamics. With the nongovernmental organizations which are original, institutionalized and in unison with popular dynamics such as Amolot and the Neighborhood Foundation, Uzbekistan has established its unique strand of democracy.
In sum, Uzbekistan is a young and dynamic country with a strong and established legacy. We should not suffice ourselves with only analyzing the results of the elections, but try to understand it more.
