On July 30, President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev signed a law that expands the powers of the parliamentary opposition. The bill was passed by the Legislative Chamber on May 13 and approved by the Senate on June 25.

The amendments grant additional rights to political party factions that have declared themselves part of the parliamentary opposition, increasing the number of such guaranteed rights from three to six. Specifically, these rights include:

• The right to submit an alternative version of a draft law or its specific provisions before the second reading;

• The right to hold one chairmanship and two deputy chairmanships of committees in the Legislative Chamber;

• The right to raise at least one issue per quarter within the framework of the "Government Hour" and through parliamentary inquiries.

The law introduces corresponding amendments to the constitutional laws “On the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis” and “On Strengthening the Role of Political Parties in the Renewal and Further Democratization of State Governance and Modernization of the Country,” as well as to the laws “On Political Parties” and “On the Rules of Procedure of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis.”

Previously, the parliamentary opposition had the right to submit an alternative version of a draft law before its first reading on the same issue, as well as to propose draft resolutions of the Legislative Chamber.

Additionally, the opposition has the right to include its dissenting opinion on discussed matters in the official record of the plenary session and to ensure participation of its representatives in the conciliation commission for laws rejected by the Senate.

In November, the President stated that in the new era, Uzbekistan’s parliament must become a true “House of the People,” with its lower chamber serving as a generator of ideas and a platform for healthy competition and debate. He emphasized the need to activate the role of the opposition in parliament and proposed expanding its powers.

In May, the People’s Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (PDPU) declared itself the parliamentary opposition after the UzLiDeP (Movement of Entrepreneurs and Businesspeople – Liberal Democratic Party) and the Democratic Party “Milliy Tiklanish” merged to form the “Progressive Bloc.”

As the parliamentary opposition, the PDPU plans to critically assess the proposals and initiatives of the government and parliamentary majority, presenting its own positions on such matters. Party leader Ulugbek Inoyatov also stated that the PDPU has the capacity to develop and submit alternative draft laws when those proposed by the majority do not align with the interests of the electorate.