On January 29, Chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan M.Abdusalomov held online negotiations with Anthony Boyer, Senior Manager of the European and Eurasia Management Programs of the International Foundation for Electoral Systems.   

The event was attended by a member of the Central Election Commission (CEC) G.Rakhimova, CEC Secretary H. Mamatov, Head of the International Cooperation Department of the CEC Secretariat B. Ismoilov, Deputy Regional Director of the Fund for Europe and Eurasia A.Kozlova, Senior Program Officer Daria Azarjev, coordinator Programs Sherry Grierson, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uzbekistan to USA J. Vakhobov and Counselor of the Embassy A. Sultonov.

The purpose of the negotiations is to establish cooperation between the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan and the International Fund for Electoral Systems.

The International Foundation for Electoral Systems is an international non-profit organization established in 1987. This Washington-based organization assists and supports developing democracies in the conduct of elections. Since 1987, IFES has provided assistance in 145 countries and currently has programs in more than 20 countries throughout Asia-Pacific, Africa, Eurasia, Middle East and North Africa, and Americas        

The event highlighted the systemic and fruitful work on further democratization of election processes, improvement of electoral legislation and practice, have been carried out in Uzbekistan since the parliamentary elections in 2019. For this purpose, the Central Election Commission has critically studied the results of the organization and conduct of elections. For the first time in practice, an analytical report was prepared to familiarize the general public with the results of work on the preparation and conduct of elections, to eliminate the identified problems and shortcomings.

The Final Report presented by the OSCE / ODIHR Election Observation Mission emphasized the conduct of elections against the background of improved legislation and principles of tolerance for independent opinions. In 2021, an important event will take place in the political life of Uzbekistan - the presidential elections. This, in turn, increases the further importance of work to improve the electoral legislation.

In this regard, the CEC pays special attention to the implementation of fruitful work in many areas. This includes developing the capacity of electoral officials in electoral procedures, including voter registration, voter data processing, electoral security, counting and results reporting, and working with voters with disabilities and election observers. 

An accurate and complete voters list is essential for electoral processes. Therefore, the voter registration system is considered the main vehicle for determining citizens' voting rights. Based on this, it should be noted that it is crucial for the CEC to identify gaps in the voter registration system, the integrity of data on voter lists, including information verification, and work to increase public confidence in the system.

Improving the legal culture of the population, especially of young people, through print and electronic media, in order to inform about their rights and obligations as voters and participants in the decision-making process, encouraging them to participate in elections and make informed choices on election day are also among the topical issues. The constant focus is on ensuring equal rights for all voters, including women, people with disabilities and groups of national minorities.

It was noted that the establishment and strengthening of cooperation, mutual exchange of experience and knowledge between the Central Election Commission and the International Foundation for Electoral Systems will make an important contribution to the further intensification and development of democratic reforms in our country.