Socio-political Reforms in Uzbekistan during the Presidency of Shavkat Mirziyoyev

The paper aims to present various aspects of the reform process initiated and implemented by Shavkhat Mirziyoyev, the president of the Republic of Uzbekistan, since 2016. The main subjects of consideration are vectors of political change in the spheres of institutions of political power, economy and foreign policy in the broader context of the legacy of the first president Islam Karimov’s reign and the heritage of the Soviet period. The fundamental reforms have embraced democratization of political system, fight against corruption, extension of civil rights and abandoning of isolationism in international relations, and are sometimes decribed as the „Uzbek Thaw”. However they seem to be very meaningful, one will be able to evaluate their significance for the statehood of the independent Uzbekistan only from the perspective of future decades.

European Parliament’s participation in the process of shaping Ukraine’s electoral law

The article is an attempt to look at the process of shaping Ukraine’s electoral law in terms of the European Parliament’s initiatives. The research aim is to demonstrate the influence of the European Parliament in this regard. The research was based on a qualitative methodology with the use of institutional and legal analysis and critical analysis of strategies. The research showed that the European Parliament was the main initiator of changes in Ukraine’s electoral law after the entry into force of the Association Agreement. European Parliament significantly contributed to the reforms’ implementation and made Ukraine one step closer to the European Union.