☰ Contents · History of Uzbekistan

The formation of national statehood

Lessons 2 · 1 lessons · N. Jo‘rayev, A. Zamonov. History of Uzbekistan (the period of independence): textbook for Grade 11 pupils of secondary schools and for secondary specialised and vocational institutions. 1st edition. G‘afur G‘ulom Publishing and Printing Creative House, Tashkent, 2018
2

The formation and development of national statehood

Textbook: pp. 11–21
GoalDescribe, with dates, the stages in which the presidency, the separation of powers, parliament, the government, the courts and the armed forces took shape.
New words
presidential republic: a form of government headed by an elected president · prezidentlik respublikasiseparation of powers: legislative, executive and judicial branches · hokimiyatning bo‘linishireferendum: a nationwide vote on an important question · referendumOliy Majlis, the national parliament since 1995 · Oliy Majlis
Explanation

The post of president was established on 24 March 1990, and the first presidential election with more than one candidate took place on 29 December 1991. The presidential term has changed several times: it became 7 years after the 2002 referendum, the 2011 amendments returned it to 5 years, and the new 2023 Constitution set a 7-year term with a rule that nobody may be elected more than twice. State power is divided into legislative, executive and judicial branches; parliament was the 150-member Supreme Council in 1990–1994, the 250-member one-chamber Oliy Majlis in 1995–2004, and from 2005 a two-chamber Oliy Majlis (Legislative Chamber and Senate). Under the new Constitution, adopted by referendum on 30 April 2023 and in force from 1 May, the Legislative Chamber has 150 deputies (half elected in single-member districts, half from party lists) and the Senate 65 members, so the textbook’s figure of 100 senators is outdated. The Cabinet of Ministers has been headed by a Prime Minister since 4 January 1992, the death penalty was abolished from 2008, and in 2017 the Supreme Court and the Higher Economic Court were merged. The armed forces began to take shape with the creation of the Ministry of Defence on 6 September 1991; 14 January is marked as Defenders of the Motherland Day.

Worked examples
Example: the chronology of parliament’s names — Supreme Council (1990–1994), one-chamber Oliy Majlis (1995–2004), two-chamber Oliy Majlis (from 2005).
Example: the presidential term — 5 years at first, 7 years in 2002, 5 years again in 2011, and 7 years with a two-term limit in the 2023 Constitution.
Class activity

Triangle of powers: draw the three branches on the board; students place cards with institutions (Oliy Majlis, Cabinet, Supreme Court, Constitutional Court, President) and their functions in the right place.

Practice
1
When did the first presidential election take place and with how many candidates?
2
What is the purpose of dividing power into three branches?
3
Under what names and structures has the parliament worked since 1990?
4
What major change took place in the court system in 2017?