Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) —  President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev delivered a speech at the first session of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis following the elections.

At the beginning of his speech, the head of state congratulated those who were honored to be elected as deputies of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis.

This high trust is a reflection of the immense respect and esteem the people have for their deep knowledge, life experience, and selfless work for the prosperity of our people.

Every election is an important political process for the state and society, especially in today’s tense and worrying global environment. Holding such public events requires even greater responsibility. Wars, conflicts, contradictions, and clashes continue in different regions of the world.

In such a challenging period, conducting elections in conditions of peace and security serves as proof of the peace and stability that prevail in our country. The president emphasized that we must cherish and strengthen this invaluable wealth as our most precious possession.

It was also noted that international organizations and observers highly appreciated the electoral process, emphasizing that it fully met international standards.

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev focused on the most important aspects of the current parliamentary elections.

First of all, these elections went down in history as the first held in accordance with the updated Constitution. A new people’s representation was formed, with significantly enhanced rights and powers, as well as increased responsibility.

Moreover, over the past eight years, the political thinking of our people has drastically changed, and political culture has grown significantly. The role and participation of political parties in public life have strengthened.

All of this has created a solid foundation for the implementation of a mixed electoral system. In many countries, such reforms require decades, but Uzbekistan has managed to implement the mixed electoral system boldly and swiftly, and now we are among the few countries that have successfully carried out such changes.

The New System Demonstrated that Every Voter’s Voice is Important for Gaining a Seat in the Legislative Chamber, and the Principle of Fairness Became Even More Significant

The elections were held in full accordance with the principles of openness, transparency, and honesty, and modern technologies played a crucial role in this process.

All stages of the elections were fully digitized, with the introduction of the E-saylov information system. In addition, the possibility for online monitoring of the voting process was provided, and an electronic voting experiment was conducted for the first time.

The elections were observed by 13 prestigious international organizations, including the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Commonwealth of Independent States, as well as more than 850 foreign observers from over 40 countries, over 65,000 local observers, and representatives from more than a thousand media outlets.

The president thanked them for their objective opinions and recommendations regarding the electoral process, expressing gratitude on his behalf and on behalf of the entire nation. It was emphasized that each of these proposals would be carefully analyzed, and steps would be taken to implement them.

The activities of the Central Election Commission have been significantly strengthened, and the creation of professional electoral bodies has played a key role in ensuring the fairness of the elections.

The president expressed gratitude to all levels of election commissions, especially the Central Election Commission, for ensuring the conduct of elections in full compliance with the requirements of legislation and international standards.

As a result of the elections, the composition of the Legislative Chamber was renewed by 60%, with 87 new deputies elected.

Eleven deputies are under 35 years old, and two representatives of the youth parliament were elected to the Legislative Chamber for the first time. Notably, 38% of the deputies are women, the highest percentage in the region.

For the First Time in the History of Our Country, a Person with a Disability Was Elected to the Legislative Chamber. This is an Important Step Towards Making the Parliament a Truly Inclusive Body that Reflects the Interests of This Segment of the Population.

The new composition includes 63 re-elected deputies, which contributes to ensuring continuity and professionalism in the work of the parliament.

The president emphasized that every proposal made by the parties during the election campaign and supported by the people will be carefully considered and implemented.

Proposals from the Liberal-Democratic Party of Uzbekistan regarding the strengthening of private property rights and improving the business environment were supported.

The president endorsed initiatives from the Democratic Party "Milliy Tiklanish" aimed at recruiting teachers to schools through a competitive process, raising children in the spirit of national values, and creating better conditions for studying the native and foreign languages.

Initiatives from the Uzbekiston People’s Democratic Party to improve conditions for people with disabilities and strengthen guarantees of pension rights for citizens were also supported.

The president supported the position of the Social-Democratic Party "Adolat" on banning the privatization of parks, recreation areas, and squares, enhancing control over pharmaceuticals, preventing artificial price hikes, and reducing the list of prescription-free medications.

Proposals from the Ecological Party for the creation of green gardens at government institutions and enterprises, as well as for the improvement of ecological culture, were also supported.

The effective work of the lower house of parliament over the past five years was acknowledged.

First and foremost, deputies of the fourth convocation were active in developing and adopting a new version of the Constitution, which outlines the country’s future development path. This event was a significant historical achievement in the chronicles of New Uzbekistan.

The lower house adopted over 130 new and comprehensive laws, which is one and a half times more than the previous period.

The president expressed gratitude to the deputies of the previous convocation for their fruitful work.

Along with the achievements of the parliament, unresolved issues were also highlighted. The president addressed some of these.

In particular, the share of laws that provide for direct action and specific implementation mechanisms remains low. It cannot yet be said that parliamentary control has become a fully functioning and effective institution. Parliamentary oversight is mostly limited to the social sector.

The activities of deputies in electoral districts are mainly reduced to organizing meetings and responding to complaints and requests in an official manner. For instance, in the issue of poverty reduction, which is an important part of the reforms, deputies have not yet taken a proper position.

In recent years, Uzbekistan has launched several major initiatives within the framework of the UN and regional cooperation. However, unfortunately, deputies have not been sufficiently active in conveying the essence and significance of these initiatives to the people.

The head of state expressed hope that the new composition of the lower house will work differently in the identified areas.

In the next five years, the Legislative Chamber faces extraordinarily large tasks.

Instead of the previous 12 committees, the lower house has now formed 10 updated committees. For the first time in Uzbekistan’s parliament, a Committee on Entrepreneurship, Competition, and Industry has been established, which will contribute to improving the business climate in the country.

The president noted that committee members must continuously enhance their knowledge and experience, deeply understand their responsibility, and work even harder. Only a deputy with profound knowledge, professional skills, high moral qualities, and progressive thinking will be able to avoid empty words and populism.

There is confidence that the creation of public councils at each committee, consisting of representatives from civil society institutions, will bring significant results.

As the president emphasized, parliamentary committees should pay special attention to close cooperation with ministries. This will be key to successful work.

The biggest issue is that ministries cannot effectively organize activities at the grassroots level, especially in districts and cities. Now, their main task must be direct interaction with the population and the prompt resolution of relevant local issues.

From now on, the activities of each leader and responsible person will be evaluated based on this criterion.

The president called on deputies to boldly strengthen their requests and demands at the district and city levels within their authority.

The legislative process should be focused on solving current societal problems and improving the lives of our people.

For example, in our country, the population increases by almost 1 million people every year. This creates a need for the construction of new residential buildings. However, if land intended for agriculture continues to be used for housing, the question arises: where will we grow agricultural crops, and how will this affect food security?

Therefore, it was emphasized that it is necessary to adopt the "Renovation Law," which would allow the construction of modern multi-story residential buildings on the site of old houses while considering the opinions of the population and the wider public.

Recently, conflicts have arisen between developers, who promise to build housing, and the population, which invests their money in these projects, hoping that the promises will be fulfilled.

To prevent such situations, it was pointed out that a law should be passed to protect citizens’ funds attracted for housing construction.

The president noted that the time has come to legally strengthen the system of mandatory health insurance to improve the quality of medical services and ensure that allocated funds reach their recipients.

The importance of supporting investors who plan to build private schools and kindergartens was also emphasized, along with the creation of more favorable conditions for them.

Financial technologies, digital marketplaces, web services, and bond markets are rapidly becoming part of our everyday lives. In this context, it was stressed that legal frameworks for relations in the areas of franchising, capital markets, and startups need to be created.

Furthermore, the importance of developing legal foundations to regulate relationships arising in the field of artificial intelligence was highlighted.

Next year, Uzbekistan will launch an online wholesale electricity market for the first time. In connection with this, it was noted that there is a need to accelerate the creation of legal frameworks for the introduction of market mechanisms in this sector, which will contribute to economic stability.

In this new era, parliament must become a true home for the people, and its lower house — a center for ideas, a platform for healthy competition, discussions, and debates.

The programs and ideas of political parties in the recent elections varied significantly, and the struggle between different political ideologies was clearly visible. The organization of many debates during the election process was especially noteworthy, and this was highly appreciated by both our people and international observers.

Our president emphasized the need to revive the opposition in parliament.

In this regard, it was proposed to increase the number of guaranteed rights for the opposition from 3 to 6, grant the opposition the right to hold one chairmanship position of a committee and two deputy chairmanship positions, as well as provide additional rights, including the opportunity to include at least one issue in each quarterly session within the framework of the "Government Hour" and parliamentary inquiries.

The President expressed confidence that healthy competition in elections and the debate of various viewpoints in parliament will contribute to the development of laws that align with the interests of the people.

Parliamentary control is primarily political, and its consequences are tied to political responsibility. The President reminded that the Legislative Chamber has the right to hear a report from a government member and, based on it, make a proposal to the President regarding their dismissal.

According to the updated Constitution, oversight of the state budget’s implementation falls entirely within the competence of the Legislative Chamber, which places a greater responsibility on the deputies.

It was emphasized that the time has come to strengthen the mechanisms for controlling the implementation of the state budget in the chamber.

Specifically, it is necessary to implement the practice of submitting all government reports on the state budget to the chamber only with an audit conclusion, as stipulated by the Budget Code.

Furthermore, it is important to increase the role of parliamentary committees in overseeing the implementation of the state budget.

Currently, parliamentary control over the expenditures of first-level budgetary fund distributors is almost nonexistent, and new deputies must pay particular attention to this issue.

Active participation of parliament in developing programs to improve the welfare of people at the regional level is of great importance.

This year, over 30 trillion soums were allocated to regional development programs, the construction of social and infrastructure facilities, and the improvement of settlements.

However, open questions remain: which deputies were involved in adopting these programs, and from whom will reports on their implementation be required?

In this context, the President proposed the creation of a system in which deputies will be obliged to participate in preparing investment programs, and their opinions will be taken into account.

Additionally, to enhance the financial capabilities of districts and cities, it was proposed that from next year, 100% of the funds from land taxes, property taxes, and turnover taxes remain at the local level, as well as at least 50% of income tax revenue.

In the coming years, public participation in the activities of the chamber will be strengthened.

In particular, the updated Constitution guarantees the right of citizens, numbering at least 100,000 people, to submit proposals to the lower house of parliament.

To actively support citizens’ initiatives, the President proposed the creation of a parliamentary commission for public initiatives within the Legislative Chamber.

Recently, parliamentary diplomacy and inter-parliamentary relations have become an effective and pragmatic tool of foreign policy.

Over the past five years, Uzbekistan has become a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Parliamentary Union, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. The country has also hosted significant international events, such as the Women’s Forum of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Second Inter-Parliamentary Forum of Central Asian countries.

To further develop international inter-parliamentary relations, the President proposed creating parliamentary committees to harmonize legislation with World Trade Organization agreements and to accelerate the transition to a "green" economy and mitigate the impacts of climate change.

It is expected that the new parliamentary commission will take on this initiative and complete the adaptation of legislation to the requirements of the World Trade Organization next year.

Today’s session holds symbolic significance as it coincides with an important date in the history of our country—the 33rd anniversary of the adoption of the state flag.

Our flag, a symbol of national sovereignty, independence, and freedom, has flown at major international scientific, cultural, and sporting events over the years, becoming a source of pride for each of us and embodying our national honor.

Taking this opportunity, the President congratulated the deputies, and through them, the entire multinational people, on this significant holiday.

Being a member of parliament in a large country like Uzbekistan, with a population of more than thirty-seven million people, is undoubtedly a great honor for each deputy, the President noted.

At the same time, to feel the respect and attention of our people every day, every minute, to sense their dreams and hopes, and to justifiably live up to this high trust — this is an invaluable responsibility.

"A deputy is a servant of the people, a person who serves as an example for all, possessing high political knowledge and consciousness, and sincerely loving their homeland.

Strengthening the atmosphere of peace, love, and mutual understanding in the family, the mahalla, and throughout society, educating the youth in the spirit of patriotism, and firmly defending the interests of Uzbekistan on the international stage — in this, above all, the people, all of us, rely on you.

As President, I am always ready to support you on this path. I am confident that, together as one, working sincerely, we will make our beloved country truly free, prosperous, and successful," the President concluded his speech.