OSCE?s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) observation mission received accreditation to observe Uzbek parliamentary elections. OSCE/ODIHR mission led by Ambassador Lubomir Kopaj from Slovakia met deputy chairman of Uzbek Central Election Commission Sayyora Khodjaeva, who informed the OSCE officials about the preparation to elections.

Kopaj said: ?We arrived in Uzbekistan as friends. The OSCE evaluates intention of Uzbekistan to improve election legislation and notes the latest democratic changes.?

He said nine observers had arrived in Uzbekistan and another group will arrive on 7 December, which will work in six large cities of Uzbekistan.

?I want to underline that the aim of mission is to form recommendations, not demands. We will try to approach our observation work as much unbiased as possible,? he said.

This is the second time the OSCE/ODIHR will observe elections in Uzbekistan. The mission includes nine international staff based at Tashkent head office and 12 long-term observers deployed in the regions. No systematic observation with short-term observers on Election Day is planned.

The mission will assess the election in terms of its compliance with OSCE commitments and international standards for democratic elections and national legislation.

It will focus on the election campaign, the legislative framework and its implementation, the media situation, the work of the election administration and relevant government bodies and the resolution of election-related disputes.

Following the election, the mission will issue a statement of preliminary findings and conclusions on the pre-election process. A comprehensive final report will be released about one month after the completion of the election process.