️ The voting stage for the first season of Uzbekistan's "Initiative Budget – 2026" program, which began on March 11, has been suspended in several cities and districts. Local commissions allegedly engaged in violations by unjustifiably rejecting citizen applications or allowing projects that did not meet established criteria to participate, raising concerns about transparency and fairness in the allocation of public funds for community-driven initiatives. This development has sparked public discontent and highlighted systemic issues in grassroots governance.
️ Violations were identified in the Zangiata district of Tashkent region, the cities of Fergana, Navoi, Gazgan, and several districts of Khorezm region. Despite demands from the Ministry of Economy and Finance for a re-inspection, the lists were not revised, leading to restricted access to voting in these areas until the violations are fully addressed. This situation underscores challenges with accountability among local authorities and deficiencies in oversight mechanisms, potentially eroding citizen trust in government-led participatory programs.
️ In the rest of the country, voting continues until March 21, after which the main winners will be announced. An additional stage will be held from March 21 to 31 for projects that garnered a significant number of votes but were not included in the main list. While this step aims to partially rectify injustices, it does not resolve the underlying problems that emerged during the initial phase, suggesting that the program's implementation may be fraught with inefficiencies.
️ Residents of the affected regions are advised to monitor updates on the Open Budget portal to exercise their right to participate after restrictions are lifted. However, these temporary measures point to a need for broader reforms in budget programs and stricter supervision of local bodies, as such violations could undermine public confidence in state initiatives and hinder the program's overall effectiveness in addressing community needs.
Source: podrobno.uz