Text of report by Iranian radio from Mashhad on 6th December

[Presenter] Some political analysts consider the Uzbek [parliamentary]
elections [last week] an important event in the country's political history
since independence. We asked Mr Abdurahim Polatov, the chairman of the
banned Uzbek Birlik [Unity] People's Movement, for his opinion about the
elections held yesterday.

[Polatov] We do not consider this an election. It is a new form of so-called
"elections" which used to be held every four or five years during the
Soviet time, programmed like the mechanism of a clock. It is true that
during the Soviet period one person was nominated in each constituency as a
candidate from the Communist Party and was elected as a representative of
both the Communists and non-members of the party.

This talk that five parties were taking part in the elections and there were
alternative candidates is nothing but nonsense. Nobody in the world
believes this. The fact that the OSCE did not even want to sent its
observes to monitor the elections proves this. Nobody recognizes the
elections as democratic, because all these five parties are just like the
former Communist Party and their nominees are just the same and [Uzbek
President Islam] Karimov's government knows that the election of their
candidates will not make any difference to the regime.

Therefore, we are not recognizing these elections. The most important issue
is that these elections will not ease the existing tension in Uzbekistan
and, I think, they will aggravate the situation, further deepening
Uzbekistan's present political and economic crisis. It is very sad, but
this is what is happening. Positive changes would have taken place in
society if people elected those whom they like. I will repeat that we do
not consider these elections true elections and their results will not
bring anything positive to Uzbekistan.

[Presenter] This was a comment on the parliamentary elections held yesterday
in Uzbekistan by the chairman of the Birlik People's Movement of
Uzbekistan, Mr Abdurahim Polatov, who is currently living in Washington.

Source: Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mashhad, in Uzbek 1500 gmt 6
Dec 99
BBC Mon CAU 071299/** MD/BB