The legislative chamber has 150 deputies elected from territorial constituencies. The Senate has 100 members, 84 elected from the regions, from the Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan and from the capital, Tashkent, and an additional 16 nominated by the President of Uzbekistan.
Majlis is the Arabic word for a sitting room,[2] however it can also refer to a legislature as well, and is used in the name of legislative councils or assemblies in some states of the Islamic world.[3][4][5]
The Supreme Soviet of the Uzbek SSR (Uzbek: Ўзбекистон ССР Олий Совети, Russian: Верховный Совет Узбекской ССР) operated in the country during the Soviet era as its main legislature. Since its establishment in July 1938, when it succeeded the All-Uzbek Congress of Soviets, it has held 12 convocations:[6]
1st convocation (1938–1946)
2nd convocation (1947–1950)
3rd convocation (1951–1954)
4th convocation (1955–1959)
5th convocation (1959–1962)
6th convocation (1963–1966)
7th convocation (1967–1970)
8th convocation (1971–1974)
9th convocation (1975–1979)
10th convocation (1980–1984)
11th convocation (1985–1989)
12th convocation (1990–1994)
On 31 August 1991, during an extraordinary 6th session of the Supreme Soviet, the independence and sovereignty of Uzbekistan was proclaimed.[citation needed] In 1992, the Soviet was renamed to reflect the country's new independence status.[7] After the last convocation, the Supreme Soviet was dissolved and converted into the Supreme Assembly in February 1995.
From February 1995 to January 2005, the Chairman of the unicameral Supreme Assembly of Uzbekistan was Erkin Khalilov, who had been Acting Chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 1993 to 1995. Since 2005 the Senate and Legislative Chamber have each had their own presiding officer.
