Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) – On 26 September 2021, a delegation of Uzbekistan, consisting of representatives of the Institute for Strategic and Interregional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the National Center for Human Rights, the Development Strategy Center and the International Institute of Central Asia, got acquainted with the principles and practice of organizing parliamentary elections in Germany, paying a visit to polling stations of the German capital.

The Uzbek delegation also held meetings with members of a number of election commissions. It should be noted that on 26 September, in Germany, a major political event took place - the regular parliamentary elections, which for the first time in 16 years were held without the participation of the current chancellor of Germany. As you know, back in 2018, Angela Merkel resigned as chairman of the country’s largest political force - the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and announced her retirement from politics after the fourth term as chancellor.

The elections in Germany are indirect. In accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany, the party that wins the elections will have the right to create a government, and its main candidate, with the successful formation of the cabinet of ministers, will become the Federal Chancellor.

Three candidates from the most popular political parties are fighting for the post of chancellor: from the Christian Democratic Union / Christian Social Union (CDU / CSU) bloc - Armin Lanshet, chairman of the CDU; from the Social Democratic Party of Germany - the acting Vice-Chancellor, Minister of Finance of Germany Olaf Scholz; from Union90 / Greens - Annalena Berbock, party co-chair. 

Of the more than 83 million inhabitants of Germany, about 61 million people over the age of 18 have the right to vote, including 31.2 million women (51.7%) and 29.2 million men (48.3%). The territory of the Federal Republic of Germany was divided into 299 constituencies. About 60 thousand polling stations were organized throughout the country, which were open from 08.00. until 18.00 by local time. During the conversation with members of the precinct commission, as well as with representatives of the capital’s department for elections, an exchange of experience took place on the effective organization of the activities of election commissions, creating favorable conditions for the free expression of the will of citizens.

The German side was informed about the upcoming elections of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, familiarized with the main provisions of the Electoral Code of the Republic of Uzbekistan, adopted in 2019, as well as with the practice of preparing and holding elections in Uzbekistan.

The members of the Uzbek delegation also informed the German side about innovations in electoral legislation, improving the practice of organizing the work of district and precinct election commissions, the principles of their formation, ensuring an impartial, objective nature of their activities.

As the comparative analysis of the electoral legislation in Uzbekistan and Germany carried out during the meeting showed, most of the processes have a similar basis, including the possibility of early voting, the desire to create the necessary conditions for ensuring the suffrage of disabled people and other aspects. At the same time, German experts highly appreciated such innovations in the election legislation of Uzbekistan as the creation of opportunities for voting abroad and the legislative consolidation of ensuring gender equality.

German colleagues were also interested in the procedure for participation in elections in Uzbekistan by international observers, who are legally given broad powers to monitor the entire election cycle, covering both the process of the election campaign and election campaign, and the voting procedure on election day. It should be noted that in Germany there is no legislative regulation of the participation of international observers and their powers.

The program of the visit of Uzbek experts further includes bilateral meetings in the Departments of the Federal President and the Federal Chancellor, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the German Bundestag, the Landtag (parliament) of the federal state of Brandenburg, as well as negotiations and round tables in leading German think tanks, foundations and specialized organizations (SWP, DGAP, ZOIS, KAS, FES, WKNE) Germany.