Uzbekistan's legislature looks set to preserve its rubber-stamp reputation following parliamentary elections on December 27.

Four parties - the Democratic Party of Uzbekistan, the Adolat (Justice) Social Democratic Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, and Milliy Tiklanish (National Revival) - contested the poll, each one a devout supporter of Uzbekistan's authoritarian ruler, Islam Karimov. Turnout exceeded 88 percent, election authorities claimed.

Regardless of the final apportionment of representation, 15 seats in the 150-seat chamber are set aside for the Environmental Movement of Uzbekistan, which was formed in 2008. In addition, 30 percent of deputies will be women.

No Uzbek election since 1991 has been deemed free-and-fair by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Nevertheless, Karimov insisted that the December 27 elections were "significantly different" from previous polls in the Central Asian state.

But a spokeswoman for the US embassy in Tashkent said the election did not meet internationally recognized standards. "Democratic elections should allow for the participation of political parties with diverse viewpoints. [...] Unfortunately, the December 27 elections in Uzbekistan did not feature this vital component of a democratic election, as only representatives from parties that reflect the government's views were on the ballot," the diplomat said on December 28.

"Tight media control and onerous registration requirements limited the opportunities for opposition candidates," the US diplomat added. "We continue to urge Uzbekistan to live up to its commitments regarding human rights, democracy, and rule of law." The US Embassy deployed eight election observers in the Tashkent region.

The US view of the vote contrasted sharply with the evaluation offered by Sergei Lebedev, the head of Commonwealth of Independent States CIS) 84-man mission. He said the election demonstrated "political maturity." Other CIS observers echoed that view.

"I arrived at polling station No. 166 in Tashkent early in the morning, and it was already packed with voters. Such activity instills me with joy," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted Azerbaijani observer Aydin Abbasov as saying.

The OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights declined to send a full election monitoring team because the system in Uzbekistan "does not offer the electorate a genuine choice."
Independent candidates were prohibited from participating in the ballot. The authorities said it would prevent "criminal elements" from gaining seats.

Though intent on fostering a democratic image for Uzbekistan, Karimov's comments concerning the election clearly indicated that he favored the "managed democracy" concept espoused by Russian political supremo Vladimir Putin.

"The people vote not only for the selected candidate, but also for the party the candidate is a member of, thus expressing support for the ideas of this party," said Karimov in remarks broadcast on December 27. "Therefore, each party has to realize the responsibility that is laid upon it. The party that does not fulfill the people's hopes will leave the political arena by itself. In this sense, the present elections are a very important test for the parties."

Sources in Uzbekistan suggested the turnout figure was exaggerated and that the voting process was marred by irregularities.

"They brought my family only one invitation letter [to vote]. It had my name on it," said a 41-year-old housewife in the Ferghana region. "There were no letters for my husband or son. I think the authorities keep these papers and vote themselves instead of citizens so the number of people who supposedly voted is increased," she added.

Other voters report not being asked for identification documents and multiple votes cast by heads of families. "In the morning my father took everybody's passport and went to vote instead of all of us. I don't know anything about the candidates," a 22-year-old living in Andijan told EurasiaNet.

"I don't think the elections were fair because we never have fair elections and everything is settled beforehand," he added.