The First Years of Independent Uzbekistan: Building the State (1991–1994)

Uzbekistan declared independence on 31 August 1991. The years that followed were a period of building the new state: a referendum and election, state symbols, a constitution, a national currency, and membership of international organizations. The following sets out these first years on a facts-only basis, with verified dates and figures.

Referendum and the first presidential election

On 29 December 1991 a nationwide referendum on independence was held. By the official results, 98.26% of participants approved independence (turnout ~94%). The same day saw the first direct presidential election: by the official result, Islam Karimov won with 87.14% of the vote, while his sole opponent Muhammad Salih (Erk) received ~12.49%.

An important note: these are the official results. International observers did not consider the 1991 election free and fair, and the opposition disputed the count. The figures are therefore presented as “officially reported” results.

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State symbols

The new state adopted its symbols step by step: the national flag on 18 November 1991; the state emblem on 2 July 1992; and the national anthem on 10 December 1992. The anthem's music is by Mutal Burhanov and its lyrics by Abdulla Oripov.

The Constitution

The Constitution of the Republic of Uzbekistan was adopted on 8 December 1992 at the 11th session of the Supreme Council (originally 6 sections, 26 chapters and 128 articles). 8 December is marked as Constitution Day.

Membership of international bodies

Uzbekistan was admitted to the United Nations on 2 March 1992 (the same day as seven other former Soviet republics). That year the country also joined the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (both on 21 September 1992) and the CSCE/OSCE (1992). On 28 November 1992 it joined the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). Earlier, in December 1991, it had been one of the founding signatories of the CIS.

The national currency — the som

The move to an independent monetary system came in two stages: on 15 November 1993 a transitional “som-coupon” was introduced (to shield the economy from ruble inflation), and on 1 July 1994 the permanent som was introduced (1 new som = 1,000 som-coupons), becoming the sole legal tender.

Alphabet reform

On 2 September 1993 a law was adopted to introduce a Latin-based Uzbek alphabet. The transition was planned to be gradual; the alphabet was revised in 1995. In practice, Cyrillic and Latin scripts have long been used side by side.

Other nation-building steps

On 14 January 1992 Uzbekistan placed the military formations on its territory under national control and created its own Armed Forces (14 January is Defenders of the Motherland Day). The Central Bank was established in 1991, its role becoming prominent in the 1993–1994 currency reforms. The capital is Tashkent; the first president was Islam Karimov (1938–2016).

By the dates

• Flag: 18 November 1991
• Referendum and presidential election: 29 December 1991
• UN membership: 2 March 1992
• Emblem: 2 July 1992
• World Bank and IMF membership: 21 September 1992
• ECO membership: 28 November 1992
• Constitution and anthem: December 1992 (8 and 10 December)
• Latin-alphabet law: 2 September 1993
• Som-coupon: 15 November 1993; som: 1 July 1994

Note

The above is a factual account of verified dates and official results. The 1991 referendum and election percentages come from official sources and were not independently verified; they are presented with that caveat.