The mission of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which observed Uzbekistan’s parliamentary elections on Sunday, announced its assessment of the electoral process during a briefing on Monday.
The mission head Sergey Lebedev, who is CIS secretary general, said that “all necessary conditions were created for the work of international observers in the republic”.
The CIS observers concluded that the parliamentary elections were conducted in full accordance with the Constitution and the Electoral Code of Uzbekistan.
They characterized the elections as “open, competitive and fair”, aligning with universally recognized principles of democratic elections and ensuring the free expression of the citizens' will.
“With each election, the process becomes more organized and better prepared,” Sergey Lebedev remarked.
He also commended the quality of election organization and the training of the members of the election commissions.
“Voters have shown greater political maturity. While in the past, they might have trusted populists, they now evaluate candidates more critically. Voters are paying closer attention to candidates' programs and public statements, questioning whether they can fulfill their promises. They no longer fall for empty promises, which guarantees that legislators will be elected on merit. Today’s candidates are well-educated individuals with extensive life experience,” Sergey Lebedev stressed.
The CIS mission included 167 accredited observers from 8 member states, among them chairpersons and members of central election commissions, members of parliaments and representatives of the diplomatic corps.
