State structure and Karakalpakstan

The form of state structure sets the relations between central and local power. A unitary state has a single constitution, laws, citizenship, monetary system and army; in a federation the members (states, republics) have their own bodies; a confederation is a union of sovereign states for a specific purpose. Uzbekistan is a unitary state, but it also has some features of a federal structure: the sovereign Republic of Karakalpakstan is part of it. It consists of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, 12 regions and the city of Tashkent; regions are divided into districts and cities, which consist of towns, villages, auls and mahallas. The Republic of Karakalpakstan is a sovereign republic within Uzbekistan: it has its own Constitution (adopted in 1993, which may not contradict the Constitution of Uzbekistan), a parliament – the Jokargy Kenes, a government, courts and state symbols. Citizens of Karakalpakstan are at the same time citizens of Uzbekistan; the laws of Uzbekistan are binding on its territory too. Under the 2023 Constitution Karakalpakstan decides questions of its administrative-territorial structure independently, its territory and borders may not be changed without its consent, and it has the right to secede from Uzbekistan on the basis of a general referendum of the people of Karakalpakstan. Relations between the two republics are regulated by treaties and agreements within the framework of the Constitution, and disputes between them are settled by means of conciliation.