CIS Executive Committee Chairman Sergey Lebedev:

“Election process in Uzbekistan organized on highest level”

More than 270 representatives of foreign states and international organizations will act as observers on the elections to the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of Uzbekistan.

Among the observers is the mission of the CIS Executive Committee, which has worked in Uzbekistan for 10 days already.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) hosted a meeting with the mission observers and its head, CIS Executive Committee Chairman Sergey Lebedev.

The CEC chairman Mirza-Ulugbek Abdusalomov informed the observers about the preparation to the upcoming elections and the peculiarities of the 2009 election campaign in light of the latest changes in the legislation.

“Uzbekistan has done a lot to hold democratic elections,” Sergey Lebedev said. “The CIS Executive Committee mission participated in the previous parliamentary elections in Uzbekistan. The national election legislation has notably improved. It fully guarantees the freedom of expression of the will of the citizens and complies with the highest democratic requirements.”

“The fact that such a high number of foreign and international observers has arrived for participation in the elections demonstrates a huge interest to Uzbekistan in the world and the country’s growing international image,” he noted.

“The main principle of the work of the CIS Executive Committee observers mission is objectivity. While implementing our functions, we take into consideration the peculiarities of the development of the country and the traditions of the people.
“The mission members have already visited Tashkent, Bukhara, Navoi and Khorezm regions ad familiarized with the work of the election commissions. They also met the heads of the political parties.

“In general, we have an impression that the election process is going in an organized manner and on a high level – not only in the center, but also in the regions. Besides, it has to be noted, that the stable economic and political situation in Uzbekistan has created conditions for the increasing of the sociopolitical activity of the voters,” Sergey Lebedev said.

According to him, the CIS observers mission will prepare a statement on the results of its work and present it on the day following the election date.