Today, the Institute for Advanced International Studies (IAIS) hosted the first Frontier Talk of its kind on the parliamentary elections of 2024. It was led by Dr Azamat Seitov, Head of the Laboratory for Anthropology and Conflict Studies, and attracted considerable interest among students, professors, and experts.

Dr Seitov began the seminar by highlighting the importance of the introduction of the new mixed majoritarian-proportional election system. For the first time in the country’s history, 75 deputies of the Legislative Chamber will be elected from single-mandate constituencies and the remaining 75 from party lists. This innovation is aimed at strengthening the role of political parties and increasing citizen participation in the voting process. The Seminar emphasised the key objective of these changes – creating a more representative and democratic parliament.

Dr Seitov also spoke in detail about the legal and procedural aspects of the upcoming elections, focusing on the role of the Central Election Commission and international observers. During the discussion it was mentioned that about 120 thousand members of election commissions and more than 70 thousand observers will ensure the transparency and legitimacy of the election process, which guarantees the fairness of the elections.

Special attention was paid to the fact that all parties, regardless of their ideological orientation, support the development of democratic institutions and strengthening the rule of law in Uzbekistan. At the same time, party programmes contain commitments to further deepen the political reforms initiated in recent years and to encourage civic engagement.

Differences in the parties’ ideological approaches to addressing key issues were also discussed in detail, allowing voters to make an informed choice depending on their personal priorities and preferences. In conclusion, it was emphasised that the participation of political parties in shaping the political agenda is an important element of the democratic process, and the new electoral system, which will be implemented for the first time in 2024, gives these parties more opportunities to influence policy.

The discussion at the end of the workshop showed high interest in the topic. The participants actively discussed the impact of the new system on the political culture of the country, as well as the possible outcomes of the upcoming elections. This seminar was the first such event organised by IAIS. In the future, it is planned to continue the Frontier Talks series with the participation of leading experts to further discuss important issues.