Uzbekistan Expands Powers of Parliamentary Opposition

Uzbekistan has introduced legislative amendments aimed at strengthening the role of the parliamentary opposition, the Ministry of Justice has announced.

Under the new rules, opposition members in the Legislative Chamber may now be appointed as chairpersons of committees and deputy chairs in two parliamentary committees.

The reforms also grant opposition parties the right to propose alternative versions of draft laws before the second reading, and to raise questions during government hour and submit parliamentary inquiries on a quarterly basis.

In the 2024 parliamentary elections, UzLiDeP received 34.75% of the vote, followed by Milliy Tiklanish with 18.82%, Adolat with 16.20%, the People’s Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (PDPU) with 17.11% and the Ecological Party with 13.12%.

Earlier this year, the PDPU declared itself an opposition party following the formation of a parliamentary bloc between UzLiDeP and Milliy Tiklanish. The PDPU has positioned itself as a proponent of building a social state based on equality and social protection.