Local government, elections and parties

Civil society is the sphere, separate from the state, in which citizens pursue their interests through organisations, mahallas and initiatives. A law of 4 January 1992 reorganised local government and introduced the post of khokim; people’s deputies’ Councils stayed as representative bodies in regions, districts and cities, and since 2023 khokims no longer chair the Councils. In mahallas, villages and small towns, citizens’ self-government works through citizens’ assemblies, a system strengthened by a special law of 1999. Elections are held on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot, the right to vote begins at 18, and the Central Election Commission organises them; it has been a permanent body since 2014. The first party founded in the independence period, the People’s Democratic Party, appeared in November 1991, followed by “Vatan taraqqiyoti” (1992), “Adolat” and “Milliy tiklanish” (1995) and UzLiDeP (2003); in 2008–2019 the Ecological Movement held 15 guaranteed seats in the Legislative Chamber, and since 2019 the Ecological Party has taken part in elections on an equal footing with the other parties; since 2019 election rules have been gathered in a single Electoral Code.