Uzbekistan to hold referendum on constitutional amendments on April 30

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Uzbekistan's parliament on Friday decided to hold a nationwide referendum on constitutional amendments on April 30.

"On March 10, after a detailed article-by-article study of all proposed additions and amendments to the current Constitution of Uzbekistan, the parliament decided to schedule a national referendum on the new version of the country's basic law for April 30," the parliament's press service said in a statement.

The amendments were initiated by Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev in December 2021.

The amendments suggest declaring Uzbekistan a "social state" and decreasing the number of lawmakers in Uzbekistan's upper chamber of parliament, the Senate, from 100 to 65.

The proposed changes would also extend the presidential term to seven years from five.