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Uzbekistan elects on national level a head of state – the president – and a legislature. The president is elected for a five-year term by the people. The Supreme Assembly (Oliy Majlis) has 150 members in the Legislative Chamber, elected for a five-year terms and 100 members in the Senate; 84 members elected at the sessions of district, regional and city deputies, and 16 members appointed by the president. Most parties are excluded. Uzbekistan is a state dominated by the supporters of a head of state – the president. Opposition parties are allowed, but are widely considered to have no real chance of gaining power.
Uzbekistan had the highest voting age in the world, at 25 (now 18).
2009–2010 Parliamentary election
The number of seats in the lower house of Uzbekistan's bicameral parliament was increased in December 2008 from 120 to 150, with 15 seats reserved for election by the country's Ecological Movement.
The third elections for the Oliy Majlis started on 27 December 2009, with 517 candidates. The 150-member bicameral Oliy Majlis comprises the Leglislative Chamber and the 100-member Senate, which each member elected to a five-year term. According to the Uzbekistan’s Election Commission, the following parties have been allowed to take part in these elections: Adolat (Social-Democratic Party of Uzbekistan) with 123 candidates, Milliy Tiklanish (Democratic Party of Uzbekistan) with 125 candidates, the People’s Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (PDP) with 134 candidates, the Liberal-Democratic Party of Uzbekistan (UzLiDeP) with 135 candidates, and the Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan.
On January 10, 2010 a second round of voting was held, because on the main election day on December 27, 2009 in 39 out of 135 electoral districts of the republic none of the candidates received more than 50 percent of the votes needed for a win. This second round was held for two candidates to deputies that got the largest number of votes in the first round. The candidate who gets a simple majority of votes cast by the electorate who came to the polls is considered elected to the parliament.
At least 33 percent of the registered voters should vote to make this second round of the elections valid.
The election was monitored by over 270 observers from 36 countries and representatives of four international missions. Human rights activists described the election campaign as oppressed by the government.