This article provides a scientific-theoretical and practical analysis of the impact of Uzbekistan’s transition to a mixed electoral system on political party competition, quality of representation, electoral accountability, and party modernization processes. The study examines the mixed electoral system not merely as a technical voting method, but as an institutional design that reshapes the relationships between voters, parties, candidates, parliament, and government. The article explains the theoretical essence of the mixed system based on Harold Lasswell’s approach to the distribution of power resources, Maurice Duverger’s law on the relationship between the electoral and party systems, and the research of Douglas W. Rae, Giovanni Sartori, Arend Lijphart, Matthew Shugart and Martin P. Wattenberg, Robert G. Moser and Ethan Scheiner, Pippa Norris, and International IDEA. Uzbekistan's experience is analyzed in the context of the 2023 constitutional-legal reforms, the 2024 parliamentary elections, the distribution of mandates through 75 single-mandate districts and 75 party-list seats, the seven-percent electoral threshold, the increase of the gender quota to 40 percent, and the two-tiered competition between party-list and district candidates. The research findings indicate that the mixed system creates an opportunity for parties to strengthen their national brand, programmatic platform, the quality of regional candidates, electoral communication, and the accountability of parliamentary factions. At the same time, its transformation into genuine competition is directly linked to the party registration environment, media pluralism, transparency of election financing, intra-party democracy, citizen observation, and the informed choice of voters.
The Impact of The Mixed Electoral System on Political Party Competition in Uzbekistan
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