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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Uzbekistan
Index
Through the early 1990s, the government's stated goal of creating a
multiparty democracy in Uzbekistan went unrealized. When independence was
gained, the Communist Party of Uzbekistan was officially banned, but its
successor, the PDPU, assumed the personnel, structure, and political
domination of its predecessor. Since forcing out a small number of
deputies from opposition parties, PDP members have complete control of the
Supreme Soviet, and most members of other government bodies also are PDP
members. The only other legal party in Uzbekistan, the Progress of the
Fatherland Party, was created by a key adviser to President Karimov,
ostensibly to give the country a semblance of a multiparty system; but it
differs little in substance from the PDP.
Of the several legitimate opposition parties that emerged in Uzbekistan
before the collapse of the Soviet Union, none has been able to meet the
official registration requirements that the government created to maintain
control and exclude them from the public arena. The first opposition
party, Birlik, was created in 1989, primarily by intellectuals and writers
under the leadership of the writer Abdurakhim Pulatov (see The 1980s, this
ch.). The movement attempted to draw attention to problems ranging from
environmental and social concerns to economic challenges, and to
participate in their solution. The main weakness of Birlik was that it
never was able to present a united front to the government. Soon after the
party's establishment, a group of Birlik leaders left to set up a
political party, Erk (Freedom), under the leadership of Mohammed Salikh.
The Uzbek government was able to exploit the disunity of the opposition
and eventually to undermine their position. Following the establishment of
independent Uzbekistan, the Karimov regime was able to suppress both
Birlik and Erk. Both parties were banned officially; Erk was reinstated in
1994.
Other parties include the Movement for Democratic Reforms, the Islamic
Rebirth Party (banned by the government in 1992), the Humaneness and
Charity group, and the Uzbekistan Movement. A former prime minister
(1990-91) and vice president (1991) of Uzbekistan, Shukrullo Mirsaidov,
created a new party, Adolat (Justice) in December 1994. Like Birlik and
Erk, the new party calls for liberal economic reforms, political
pluralism, and a secular society, but experts describe its opposition to
the government as quite moderate. Nevertheless, Adolat has not been able
to operate freely.
In 1995 opposition parties continued to be divided among themselves,
further diluting their potential effectiveness, and many of the leaders
have been either imprisoned or exiled. In mid-1995, Mohammed Salikh was in
Germany; Abdurakhim Pulatov was in exile in Turkey; and his brother
Abdumannob Pulatov, also active in the opposition and a victim of brutal
government oppression, took refuge in the United States.
Data as of March 1996
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