
Legislative branch
The Supreme Assembly or Oliy Majlis is the highest state representative body in the Republic of Uzbekistan which exercises legislative power. Before 2002 the Oliy Majlis was a unicameral Parliament. In December 2002 a referendum was held and the decision to form a bicameral Parliament was taken.
At present the Oliy Majlis consists of two chambers: an Upper House or Senate (100 seats; 84 members are elected by regional governing councils to serve five-year terms and 16 are appointed by the President) and a Lower House or Legislative Chamber (120 seats; elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms).
THE SENATE
The exclusive powers of the Senate include:
- election of the Chairman and Vice-Chairmen of the Senate as well as chairmen and vice-chairmen of committees;
- election of the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan upon the nomination of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan;
- election of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan upon the nomination of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan;
- election of the Higher Arbitration Court of the Republic of Uzbekistan upon the nomination of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan;
- appointment and dismissal of the Chairman of the State Committee for the Protection of Nature of the Republic of Uzbekistan upon the nomination of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan;
- ratification of the decrees of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the appointment and removals of the Prosecutor General of the Republic of Uzbekistan and his Deputies;
- ratification of the decrees of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan on the appointment and removals of the Chairman of the National Security Service of the Republic of Uzbekistan;
- appointment and dismissal of diplomatic and other representatives of the Republic of Uzbekistan in foreign countries;
- appointment and removal of the Chairman of the Board of the Central Bank of the Republic of Uzbekistan upon the nomination of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan;
- passing the enactments on amnesty introduced by the President;
- depriving members of the Senate of personal immunity on request of the Prosecutor General;
- hearing the report of the Prosecutor General, the Chairman of the State Committee for the Protection of Nature, the Chairman of the Board of the Central Bank;
- settling questions of functioning of the Senate chamber;
- passing regulations on political, social, economic issues and issues of home and foreign policy of the state.
Ilghizar Sabirov - Chairman of the Senate
THE LEGISLATIVE CHAMBER
The exclusive powers of the Legislative Chamber include:
- election of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Legislative Chamber as well as chairmen and vice-chairmen of committees;
- depriving members of the Legislative Chamber of personal immunity on request of the Prosecutor General;
- settling questions of functioning of the Legislative Chamber;
- passing regulations on political, social, economic issues and issues of home and foreign policy of the state.
Diloram Tashmukhamedova - Chairman of the Legislative Chamber (elected on January 23, 2008). Tashmukhamedova was preceded at this post by Erkin Khalilov.
Political Parties in the Legislative Chamber
All the five political parties on official record in the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan –Social Democratic Party (Adolat), Democratic National Rebirth Party (Milly Tiklanish), Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan or LDPU, Fidokorlar National Democratic Party, People’s Democratic Party or NDP (formerly Communist Party)– have their representing members in the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis.

Official Sites
Portal of the State Authority of the Republic of Uzbekistan - www.gov.uz
LOBBY GROUPS IN THE OLIY MAJLIS
As the executive authorities are virtually unlimited in Uzbekistan, the role of the Parliament is quite specific. The Oliy Majlis has the reputation of a “refuse chute” for state officials.
State officials in disfavor are moved either to the Senate or to the Legislative Chamber. This automatically deprives the official of any influence in the system of government. Even additional powers (appointment of the Prime Minister) delegated to the Oliy Majlis within the reform of 2002 have made no changes to the real role of the Parliament in the system of the Uzbek government.
Every draft law supposed to have some political, social or economic significance comes through numerous approvals in the executive bodies and then enters the Oliy Majlis only for a formal approval. Since members of both chambers are deprived of any authorities there is no developed system of lobbies.
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