At the first session of the newly elected Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis (parliament) on 18 November, deputy Akmal Saidov called president Shavkat Mirziyoyev the “architect of the New Uzbekistan parliament”.
“Today, I heard several wise remarks from you about parliament — the New Uzbekistan parliament. You called it the people’s house, a school of democracy. You also said that laws oriented toward the people should emanate from this people’s house. Then I thought: if asked who the initiator and architect of the New Uzbekistan parliament is, I would name you,” Saidov stated.
He reminded that in the past eight years since coming to power, Shavkat Mirziyoyev had addressed the Legislative Chamber 14 times, the Senate 4 times and delivered 4 addresses to the parliament. During specific meetings with the Legislative Chamber, the president outlined its agenda and directions, said Saidov, who until the recent elections was the first vice speaker of the Legislative Chamber and long-time head of the National Human Rights Center.
“Your speech today also gave us a clear understanding of the parliament’s priority areas until 2030,” Saidov told the president.
“I would like to highlight your speech today. In your recently published seminal book „Modernity and Uzbekistan“ I found the quintessence of ideas about parliament. This is no exaggeration. Throughout your career, parliament has always been at the center of your attention. It is also important to note another key point: our Constitution assigns the president a coordinating role among the branches of state power — legislative, executive and judicial. And you have truly fulfilled this role at the constitutional level,” Akmal Saidov emphasized.
He noted that the president had paid significant attention to parliament. In recent years, the head of the state has held 10 meetings with representatives of major inter-parliamentary organizations, including the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and leaders of foreign parliaments.
Saidov praised the president’s assertion that today’s parliament, deputies, and party factions are fundamentally different from those of the past. Each of the president’s speeches, he noted, addressed essential aspects of legislative activity, parliamentary oversight, and inter-parliamentary relations.
“I believe you were absolutely right when you said: today’s parliament is not yesterday’s parliament, today’s deputy is not yesterday’s deputy and today’s party faction is not yesterday’s party faction. Each of your speeches has addressed key aspects of parliamentary legislative activities, its oversight functions and inter-parliamentary relations. Today, you proposed creating a new parliamentary commission linked to the constitutional right of 100,000 citizens to initiate legislation. How should we exercise this right? The Constitution does not define a mechanism for its implementation, but today you outlined its organizational and legal framework,” the deputy said.
He added that under Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s initiative, recent years have seen the adoption of a unified law and four major codes, replacing numerous smaller codes. This demonstrates that “Uzbekistan is ahead of many global parliaments, as noted by representatives of foreign parliaments,” Saidov stated.
“And the innovations in budget oversight? For instance, in any country, one of the main tasks of parliament is budget control. After all, where are the main funds allocated? In parliament. But how can their use be monitored? The executive branch cannot do this. Today, you outlined eight priority areas for parliamentary activity in the coming years,” he stressed.
Continuing his speech, Akmal Saidov shared remarks by secretary-general of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Martin Chungong about president of Uzbekistan:
“He said: 'In nearly 79 years of the UN General Assembly, no resolution on national parliaments had ever been adopted. This was your president’s initiative. Moreover, your president demonstrates an exemplary relationship with parliament, which should serve as a model for other heads of state. Typically, heads of state fear parliaments and try to limit their power. But your president supports parliament and works harmoniously with the legislative, executive and judicial branches. This is a positive example worth studying globally'”.
Wrapping up his speech, Akmal Saidov wished president Shavkat Mirziyoyev good health and well-being.
Akmal Saidov was a candidate for the post of the president of Uzbekistan two times: in 2007 and in 2015.
