Amendments to Constitution discussed in Karakalpakstan

Entrepreneurs and businesspeople, gathered in Nukus (Karakalpakstan, to study the law and focused on clauses directed at public control over activities of the state bodies, the press service of UzLiDeP party said.

Member of UzLiDeP faction Nuriddin Muratov said that the article 32 of the Constitution, which sets right of citizens to participate in governance of public and state via self-governing bodies, hold referendums and democratic formation of the state bodies, was amended with clause, which says that the citizens can participate in development and improvement of public control over activities of the state bodies. For the first time in international practice, the institute of public control is included to constitution.

He underlined that in 1992, the Constitution of Uzbekistan set responsibility of the state bodies and officials before public and citizens (article 2 of the Constitution). The article 19 sets that the citizens of the country and the government are tied with mutual rights and responsibility. These and some other norms in the Constitution helped to create system of legislation, which allows to development of institute of the civil society, NGOs, which can carry out effective public control over activities of the state bodies.

Above-mentioned constitutional clauses received further development in legislation on public unions, NGOs, self-governing bodies of the citizens and others. The rights of the citizens, public unions in participation in public control were set in over 250 legislative and normative acts. In particular, in line with article 7 of the law on NGOs, the civil society institutes have right to propose initiatives on various public issues, make proposals and participate in development of the decisions of the state bodies and governance in line with the legislation. At the same time, the legislation does not have determined this order and there are no legal mechanisms of implementation of these rights.

In this connection adoption of the law “On public control” is directed at implementing new regulations of the Constitution and will help to active participation of the citizens and civil society in public control over implementation of the laws in the sphere of the state, public and humanitarian construction.

Expert of UzLiDeP Mukhtabar Husanova underlined that in modern social science, the public control is usually considered as the system of organizational-legal measures, carried out by the citizens and institutes of civil society, on controlling activities of the state bodies and governance to ensure their adherence to legislation and implementation of their liabilities. Public control can be carried out with direct way and via parliament or representative bodies of the government. The control over the sate bodies, conducted by citizens, NGOs, self-governing bodies, mass media and other civil institutes, is important factor to ensure rights, freedoms and interests of the citizens, liberalize state and public construction, form favourable business environment.

In direct way of public control, the citizens express their will via access to information, appeals and requests to the state bodies, public discussion of the draft law, important progammes of social-economic development and decisions of the state bodies, related to rights and freedoms of the citizens, etc. These types of public control are wide discussed in Uzbekistan.

Only in 2013, the civil institutes of Uzbekistan, including political parties, NGOs and self governing bodies, organized thousands events on discussing important programmes of social-economic development, considered draft laws, etc. The legislation of almost all EU states envisages participation of the citizens in discussions of important issues of the state and public life, as well as draft laws. The citizens can participate in this process individually or as a collective. She said that the Constitution of Austria envisages participation of the citizens in discussion of offered draft laws.

The participants of the vent underlined that strengthening public control in the constitutional level will turn it to important tool of institute of state and public construction, strengthen legal mechanisms of democracy in the society. New amendments will help to ensure rule of law in the society and protection of interests and freedoms of population, attraction of the citizens, civil society to governance of public and state affairs.