Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulla Aripov has instructed government officials to stop using foreign-made vehicles. According to the press secretary of the head of government, Bekzod Khidoyatov, the Prime Minister himself replaced his official Mercedes-Benz S-Class with a Chevrolet Malibu.

Earlier, on 5 March, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev emphasized the need for civil servants to switch to locally produced goods, including cars and furniture. During a meeting on 7 March, Abdulla Aripov stressed that this order must be implemented immediately, without delay.

Currently, all government agencies, including ministries, departments, regional administrations, and the Council of Ministers of Karakalpakstan, have switched their vehicle fleets to so-called "domestic cars." However, it has been noted that many of these vehicles are imported as ready-made models by UzAuto Motors., Gazeta.uz reported

For example, Speaker of the Legislative Chamber Nuriddin Ismailov and Senate Chairperson Tanzila Narbayeva now use Chevrolet Tahoe vehicles. Deputy prime ministers have switched to Malibu, while regional governors (hokims) use Tahoe and Traverse. The official cars previously used will gradually be auctioned through the E-auksion platform.

Additionally, it was reported that the mayor of Tashkent, Shavkat Umurzakov, also replaced his Mercedes-Benz with a Malibu, and district governors are already using Chevrolet vehicles.

Alongside the transition to local cars, the president has instructed officials to reduce their use of official vehicles. Stricter requirements will be imposed on the purchase of essential goods, whether from the state budget or extrabudgetary sources.

To prevent violations in public procurement, a system based on artificial intelligence will be introduced. Moreover, a platform will be created to monitor average market prices for goods involved in procurement, ensuring prices are not inflated by more than 20%.