Issues of ensuring transparency and publicity in the elections and the role of mass media in the preparation and conduction of the elections to Oliy Majlis, regional, district and municipal councils of people’s representatives became the main topic of the seminar.

The event was aimed at enhancing knowledge of heads of press groups of the national election legislation, discussing participation of the media, press groups in particular, in arrangement of conditions for prompt and impartial coverage of elections.

Opening the seminar, the chairman of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Uzbekistan Mirzo-Ulug’bek Abdusalomov noted that elections to the parliament of the country and the Central Election Commission are organized and conducted in strict compliance with the national election legislation, transparency and publicity principles envisaged by the legislation as well as the Concept on preparation and conduction of the elections to Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, regional, district and municipal councils of people’s representatives.

Seminar participants got detailed information of the work fulfilled on the basis of this Concept.

They noted that all necessary organizational and legal conditions were provided in the center and locally so that the work of election commissions on preparation and conduction of elections to Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, regional, district and municipal councils of people’s representatives was carried out in the atmosphere of Transparency and Publicity.

Press service of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, press groups under regional and Tashkent municipal election commissions play an important and responsible role in fulfillment of these tasks. This depends much on the proficiency of press groups’ workers and journalists, their competence in the requirements of election legislation.

As they emphasized in the seminar, the maim task of press groups was the provision of the prompt and impartial coverage of the process of elections to the Legislative Chamber of Oliy Majlis and local representative bodies of state authority. Working in the process of the pre-election agitation press groups should pay a special attention to such important issues as giving political parties equal rights in using mass media as well as cover the course of elections in strict compliance with legislation requirements.
Seminar participants got acquainted with conditions provided for journalists by the press center of the Central Election Commission. The conference hall and rooms are furnished in tune with the times, equipped with computer devices, telephones, fax machines and copying devices. Mass media representatives have all opportunities to receive information promptly, prepare and broadcast their materials to any part of the world through Internet.

The elections to Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan, regional, district and municipal councils of people’s representatives will become another important step on the way to our society’s democratization, seminar participants noted.

They heard reports to the following topics: “Improvement of election legislation in conditions of renovation and democratization of the society”, “The role of journalists in covering regulations of laws on elections”, “Transparency and publicity in the process of preparation and conduction of election”, “The role of TV and radio in the coverage of elections”.
The seminar was held in the atmosphere of constructive dialogue. Managers of press service of the Central Election Commission of the Republic of Karakalpakstan, press groups under regional and Tashkent municipal election commissions as well as press services of political parties and journalists were answered all questions they were interested in. According to participants’ assessment, this seminar will be of big importance in the coverage of election campaign.

Participants of the event got acquainted with the activity of Xalq So’zi and People’s Word newspapers and National Association of Electronic Mass Media of Uzbekistan.

UT