Uzbekistan: Why Should the State Weaken Control Over the Institute of Makhalla?

One of the vital conditions for the functioning of democracy in any society is the existence of citizens’ self-governing bodies (CSB) within that system. In Uzbekistan, such social responsibility is assumed by “mahalla” – the Uzbek citizens’ self-governing institution. Since the beginning of 2017 Uzbekistan has been carrying out large-scale reforms. Important laws and regulations are being adopted, which should create favorable conditions for quality life and ensure freedom for the Uzbek people. With mahallas, however, such positive change in the long-run seems to be just a lip-service. The main challenges mahallas are facing today are, inter alia, obscured freedom they have in ruling themselves and controlling their own affairs and incapability to effectively tackle citizens’ problems, thus leaving people’s trust unjustified.