Uzbekistan: Officials Preview Parliamentary Changes,

C O N F I D E N T I A L TASHKENT 001455

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DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/CEN
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E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/08/19
TAGS: PGOV PREL UZ
SUBJECT: Uzbekistan: Officials Preview Parliamentary Changes,
Describe New EcoMovement

REF: TASHKENT 1496

CLASSIFIED BY: Steven Prohaska, Second Secretary, State, Pol-Econ;
REASON: 1.4(B),(D)


1. (C) Summary: The Government of Uzbekistan, in collaboration with
the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),
hosted a conference dedicated to parliamentary systems and
political parties in Tashkent on July 1-2. GOU representatives
responded favorably to presentations from a series of foreign
countries on their own parliamentary systems, indicating that they
were interested in studying these examples further and possibly
taking on board aspects of these systems-but on a gradual,
step-by-step basis. GOU representatives also described a number of
planned changes to Uzbekistan's parliamentary system, which include
an increase in the number of deputies from 120 to 150, the
guaranteed provision of 15 seats to Uzbekistan's new EcoMovement,
reforms to ease party registration, and legal changes that will
permit criticism of the President. Time will tell whether these
changes materialize and whether they will be more than cosmetic,
but the GOU does appear interested in further political dialogue
with other countries including the U.S. End summary.




2. (SBU) At an international conference in Tashkent intended to
discuss the development of parliamentary systems, political
parties, and elections on July 1-2, Government of Uzbekistan
officials previewed a number of changes that will take place in
Parliament after the December elections. Over the course of the
conference, representatives from a variety of countries including
South Korea, France, Germany, India, Japan and others discussed
their respective parliamentary systems. GOU officials responded
enthusiastically, noting that they can learn from other examples.
Former presidential candidate Akmal Saidov called the forum a great
opportunity to compare Uzbekistan's experiences with those of other
countries. He argued that Uzbekistan's parliament meets
international standards. An oft-repeated sentiment from the GOU
during the conference was that Uzbekistan has pursued and should
pursue reforms taking into account its own unique development and
cultural history. Moreover, change should be gradual.



Roles of Parties and Mahallas

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3. (SBU) Karine Djavakova of Uzbekistan's Ministry of Internal
Affairs Academy said that Uzbekistan's four political parties serve
three main goals: first, representing the interests of certain
constituencies; second, promoting change without violating the law;
and third, helping politically active citizens to influence policy.
She added that the parties have initiated the publication of 11
periodicals. Bekzod Ahmedov of the Institute for Strategic and
Inter-Regional Studies under the President described the role of
mahallas (neighborhood committees) in Uzbek politics, noting that
over 10,000 mahallas actively participate in the election process.
These mahallas will elect nominees-"the most suitable citizens"-to
the Senate and are engaged in various activities to promote
political and legal awareness among the populace, he continued.



GOU Officials Hint at Future Changes, Show Interest in Comparative
Politics

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4. (SBU) Chairman of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis
Nuriddinjon Ismailov declared that there will be structural changes
in Uzbekistan's parliament, including an increase in the number of
parliamentary deputies from 120 to 150, including 15 from the new
EcoMovement. The remaining 135 seats will be apportioned among
political parties. He added that Uzbekistan has dismantled
"initiative groups" of electors, indicating that these had been
formed while political parties were still being developed and were
no longer needed. Ismailov also hinted that there will be changes
in the status of Uzbekistan's opposition. Furthermore, the time
necessary for party registration will decrease from six to four
months and the number of signatures necessary for party
registration will drop from 50,000 to 40,000. He noted that these
changes had been made in line with recommendations from the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.




5. (C) On the margins of this conference, a research officer named
Rahim Rasuljonovich Hakimov who works at Uzbekistan's Institute of
Monitoring of Acting Legislation under the President admitted to
Poloff that none of Uzbekistan's political parties disagrees with
President Karimov's policies. Hakimov noted, however, that a new
law will enter into force in 2010 that will allow real opposition
parties. Whereas in the past there had not been a "legal basis"
for disagreements between parties and the President, this would
change next year, he claimed. When questioned about details
regarding the nature of this opposition, Hakimov opined that the
Social Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (SDPU) could become an
opposition party, and he noted that there are significant
differences of opinion between members of the SDPU and the Liberal
Democratic Party of Uzbekistan.




6. (C) Hakimov and two of his colleagues from the Government of
Uzbekistan also indicated their interest in mid-level policy
studies at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, noting
that Uzbekistan wants to study the U.S., British, German, and
other European political systems. They said that Uzbekistan may
apply what it learns-on a step-by-step basis-to its own political
system. They added that they would like to learn how personnel
surrounding the U.S. President are selected, recruited, and vetted.
Hakimov and a colleague named Khudaykulov from the Civil Society
Institute also noted that they would like to raise international
awareness of Uzbekistan's political system by publishing an article
about this in the journal Presidential Studies Quarterly.



How "EcoMovement" Differs from Political Parties

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7. (SBU) Boriy Alikhanov, Chairman of the Executive Committee of
the Central Council of the Ecology Movement of Uzbekistan,
described the role of EcoMovement in the Oliy Majlis. Uzbekistan
had created EcoMovement in response to urgent concerns about
environmental and health conditions in Uzbekistan, including
desertification, problems with flora and fauna, and increasing
volumes of industrial and other waste. Per the Law on the
EcoMovement of Uzbekistan that had recently entered into force,
EcoMovement will be guaranteed 15 deputy seats (out of 150 total)
in Uzbekistan's Oliy Majlis after the parliamentary elections.
Alikhanov noted that many other countries have "green" political
parties. These parties must concentrate so much effort on
political objectives and elections that they lose sight of
ecological issues, he continued. "The Ecological Movement of
Uzbekistan is not a political organization or a political party,"
Alikhanov declared. Instead, EcoMovement directs its activities
solely toward ecological, wildlife management, and health issues
and the election of 15 deputies will allow EcoMovement to
effectively influence legislation. Legislative Chamber Chairman
Ismailov also opined that the creation of EcoMovement will improve
parliament's image.



Comment:

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8. (C) Time will tell whether any of the parliamentary changes that
GOU officials previewed during this conference will be more than
cosmetic. If Hakimov's claim that additional reforms next year
will permit criticism of the president is true, it will be
interesting to see who will have the temerity to test this new
freedom. It is certainly difficult to imagine any citizen of
Uzbekistan getting away with this today in a country that has no
real opposition and where every presidential candidate in 2007
fully endorsed Karimov's reforms. Still, GOU officials do appear
interested in studying the parliamentary experiences of other
countries and perhaps over the long term adapting elements of these
to Uzbekistan's own political system. The GOU's previous
receptivity to inter-parliamentary exchanges with the United States
may provide opportunities for further political reform dialogue
down the road.
NORLAND