«The Constitution is ours»

«The Constitution is ours» 15.04.2023 14:41

The updated Constitution will become a solid legal basis for the prosperous life of our people.

At a regular session of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis on 9-10 March 2023, the issue of holding a referendum on the draft Constitutional Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan” was considered.

The event was also attended by Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of foreign States in the Republic of Uzbekistan, heads of representative offices of international organizations.

During the preparation of the bill, the lawmakers stressed, more than 400 international documents and constitutions of about 190 countries were carefully analyzed. The draft has attracted appreciation by international experts as a document that embodies all universal norms of international law.

As stated at the session, the number of articles of the Constitution has increased from the current 128 to 155, and norms grew from the current 275 to 434. Accordingly, 65 percent of the text of the Basic Law has been updated, building on the proposals that came from the people. The provisions on human rights and freedoms have increased three and a half times, and, proceeding from this, there is every reason to adopt the draft as the Constitution in a new edition.

The renewed draft Constitution unites the entire society around the idea of building a developed state - New Uzbekistan where the interests of all segments of the population are taken into account, while the process of devising the draft was enriched by the active participation of the wider public, political parties, public organizations, representatives of expert and scholarly communities as well as the intelligentsia; in a word, as it was especially emphasized, the draft becomes literally the People's Constitution.

The people’s representatives also voiced their support for the date of the referendum on the draft Constitutional Law – 30 April 2023 – as well as the need to obtain the rule of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the resolution of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis to hold a referendum.

The updated Constitution, it was stated, will help deliver the foundations of social, democratic-legal and truly people’s statehood, boost the welfare of the population, further strengthen the rights and interests, honor and dignity, become an important factor in the liberalization of all spheres of life, and also open a new period in the development of New Uzbekistan.

The Constitutional Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan considered the above decision of the Legislative Chamber on March 13, 2023 and decided to recognize it as consistent with the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan.

Also on March 14, 2023, the thirty-eighth plenary session of the Senate of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan was held. During the session, the senators adopted a resolution “On holding a referendum of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the draft Constitutional law of the Republic of Uzbekistan “On the Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan”, according to which the referendum is scheduled for April 30, 2023.

On April 12, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev received credentials from foreign Ambassadors. At this solemn ceremony, the President of Uzbekistan, speaking about the process of renewal of the country, also dwelled on the essence and goals of the reforms carried out in recent years to build a legal democratic state, develop a free civil society based on the principle of “person – society – state”.

Such large-scale changes require a radical reform of the country, a consistent implementation of a set of political, economic and administrative reforms. A big step in this direction is the process of updating the Constitution in accordance with the realities of New Uzbekistan.

It was also noted that in the course of work on the new edition of the Basic Law, a wide public discussion was held. The proposals from experienced specialists and scientists, foreign partners, specialized international institutions and think tanks were taken into account.

Detailed information about the draft Constitution in the new edition and the aforementioned referendum can also be obtained on the website saylov.uz