Legal system: evolution of Soviet civil law; still lacks independent judicial system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Islom KARIMOV (since 24 March 1990, when he was elected president by the then Supreme Soviet) head of government: of Ministers appointed by the president with approval of the Supreme Assembly election results: Islom KARIMOV reelected president; percent of vote - Islom KARIMOV 91.9%, Abdulkhafiz JALALOV 4.2% elections: last held 9 January 2000 (next to be held NA 2007); (previously was a five-year term, extended by national referendum on 27 January 2002) prime minister and deputy ministers appointed by the president
Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Assembly or Oliy Majlis (250 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); note - on 27 January 2002, a referendum was held that will make the Assembly bicameral on the 2004 elections election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NDP 48, Self-Sacrificers Party 34, Fatherland Progress Party 20, Adolat Social Democratic Party 11, MTP 10, citizens' groups 16, local government 110, vacant 1 note: not all seats in the last Supreme Assembly election were contested; all parties in the Supreme Assembly support President KARIMOV elections: last held 5 December and 19 December 1999 (next to be held NA December 2004)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Supreme Assembly)
Political parties and leaders: Adolat (Justice) Social Democratic Party
[Anwar JURABAYEV, first secretary]; Democratic National Rebirth Party
(Milly Tiklanish) or MTP [Aziz KAYUMOV, chairman]; People's Democratic
Party or NDP (formerly Communist Party) [Abdulkhafiz JALOLOV, first
secretary]; Self-Sacrificers Party or Fidokorlar National Democratic
Party [Ahtam TURSUNOV, first secretary]; note - Fatherland Progress
Party merged with Self-Sacrificers Party
Political pressure groups and leaders: Birlik (Unity) Movement
[Abdurakhim POLAT, chairman]; Erk (Freedom) Democratic Party [Muhammad
SOLIH, chairman] was banned 9 December 1992; Human Rights Society of
Uzbekistan [Abdumannob POLAT, chairman]; Independent Human Rights Society
of Uzbekistan [Mikhail ARDZINOV, chairman]
International organization participation: AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC, EBRD,
ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Shavkat HAMRAKULOV FAX: [1] (202) 293-6804 [1] (202) 887-5300 chancery: Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John Edward HERBST embassy: 82 Chilanzarskaya, Tashkent 700115 mailing address: use embassy street address; US Embassy Tashkent, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7110 telephone: [998] (71) 120-5444 FAX: [998] (71) 120-6335
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and green separated by red fimbriations with a white crescent moon and 12 white stars in the upper hoist-side quadrant