Government
Constitution
The Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan was adopted on December 8, 1992, by the 11th Session of the Supreme Council of the 12th convocation. It is based on the provisions of UN documents, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and international public law. The Constitution consists of the preamble and six sections which include 26 chapters and 128 articles. The first section defines the major principles of the Constitution, the second section secures the fundamental rights, freedoms, and responsibilities of the people and citizens; the third section is devoted to the economic and social bedrock of the state; the fourth section determines the administrative, territorial and state structure; the fifth section defines the structure and functions of the government; the sixth section of the Constitution regulates the order of its amendment.
Oliy Majlis
The Oliy Majlis is the supreme representative body in the republic. The law on the elections to the Oliy Majlis was issued on December 28, 1993. First elections were held on December 25, 1994. Two hundred and fifty deputies form one chamber and are elected in their territorial constituencies on a multi-party basis for the term of five years. Citizens of the republic who have reached the age of 25 can be elected to the Oliy Majlis. The exclusive authorities of the Oliy Majlis include the adoption of laws and the strategic state programs; the definition of authority of legislative; executive and judicial bodies of power as well as other responsibilities particular to the supreme legislative body of the state. The deputies to the Oliy Majlis enjoy immunity status. The session of the Oliy Majlis is held not less than twice a year.
President
The presidency was instituted in Uzbekistan on March 24, 1990. The president is the head of the state and executive power. The president of the Republic of Uzbekistan is simultaneously the Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The President is elected by nation-wide elections for a term of five years. A citizen of the Republic of Uzbekistan, who has reached the age of 35 years, having an excellent command of the official language, permanently residing in the territory of Uzbekistan not less than 10 years prior to the elections can be elected as the president. One and the same person cannot be the president of the Republic of Uzbekistan over two successive terms. The constitutional authorities of the President are extensive.
Islam Karimov has dominated the leadership since 1989 when he rose to be Communist Party leader in then Soviet Uzbekistan. The following year he became Uzbek president and continued in the post after independence. A referendum held in 1995 extended his term until 2000 when he won the presidential elections unopposed. In 2002 he again managed to secure support in a referendum for an extension of the presidential term - from five to seven years. This measure comes into effect after the 2005 presidential vote.
Karimov takes a ruthlessly authoritarian approach to all forms of opposition. The few western observers who monitored parliamentary elections at the end of 2004 condemned them as having failed to meet international standards and pointed out that all the candidates supported the president. Karimov has been accused of using the perceived threat of Islamic militancy to justify his style of leadership. Some analysts suggest that the wave of bombings and shootings in March 2004 is evidence that this policy is backfiring. Observers point out that the combination of ruthless repression and poor living standards provides fertile breeding ground for violent resistance in a volatile region.
Karimov was born in 1938 in the central Uzbek town of Samarkand and is an economist by profession. He held various senior posts in Soviet Uzbekistan, including finance minister and first secretary of the Uzbek Communist Party Central Committee.
Cabinet of Ministers
The Cabinet of Ministers is formed by the president and approved by the Oliy Majlis of the republic. The Cabinet of Ministers is the supreme executive power of the state. The Cabinet of Ministers include the Prime Minister, First Deputy Prime Minister, Deputies of the Prime Minister, ministers, chairmen of state committees, heads of large state concerns and corporations, and the Chairman of Karakalpakstan's government. The Cabinet of Ministers ensures the execution of laws and other decisions issued by the Oliy Majlis and decrees and orders of the President. The Cabinet of Ministers also guarantees effective functioning of the economy, society and the spiritual sphere. It issues decrees and enactments, which are mandatory for the execution by all the acting bodies, institutions, and citizens in the entire territory of the country.
Judicial Authority
The court is the sole state body which administers justice. Judicial system of Uzbekistan consists of the following: The Constitutional Court which controls the execution of the Constitution and its principles by all the branches of the government; the Supreme Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan which is the paramount body in the system of civil, criminal and administrative legal proceedings; Supreme Economic Court is the ultimate judicial body in the sphere of regulating economic relations. The supreme judicial bodies are elected for a term of five years. The judicial system also includes the Supreme Court of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, the Economic Court of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, the Tashkent Municipal Court, regional, district, town, economic and military courts appointed for a term of five years. The law On Courts dated September 2, 1993 defined the legal status of the above courts.
