Photo of a boy holding out a sign that reads “vote and drink Pepsi.” Screenshot from Gazeta.uz: O’zbekiston Yangiliklari YouTube channel. While the outside world is focused on the upcoming constitutional referendum in Uzbekistan on April 30, people inside the country are occupied with a different election. They are choosing how to spend funds allocated to their district and municipal budgets within the Participatory Budget (PB) project. The voting is taking place on the Open Budget portal, where citizens can vote for 33,680 projects posted on it. The PB program allows Uzbekistani citizens to campaign and vote for infrastructure projects that will benefit their local districts. The outcome of this battle will remind citizens of the importance of their votes and the impact that active participation in political processes can have on the future of the nation. The Ministry of Finance launched the election process on February 6 and saw 55,970 projects uploaded to the portal by February 26, the deadline for sending initiatives. The second stage consisted of selecting projects eligible for voting. Between March 18 and April 7, people can vote for projects they want to be implemented in their makhallas (micro-districts). The PB was introduced in 2021, allowing people to decide on what to allocate public funds in their neighbourhoods. Its supporters hail it as a step towards democracy capable of leading to bigger changes through cultivating participation in public life and political processes. Its critics highlight the shortcomings of the voting process, which includes buying votes and creating multiple fake accounts on the voting portal. Uzbekistan is a Central Asian nation with a population of 34.8 million people. Between 1991 and 2016, it was ruled by the authoritarian president Islam Karimov. Twenty-five years of Karimov’s rule were characterised by human rights violation, political repression and economic isolation. All of that changed when Karimov died in September 2016, and Shavkat Mirziyoyev, the current president, came to power. Uzbekistan embarked on major political, economic and social reforms. The ultimate goal of the reforms is to build a “New Uzbekistan,” described by the president as “an open and fair society that cares about every citizen.” Mirziyoyev’s new course has been a blend of the old and new, neither completely dismantling the previous regime nor establishing an entirely new one. The reforms have gradually fostered the growth of civil society evidenced by the expansion of social networks, increased protests against abuses of power, and the emergence of independent journalism and bloggers. However, they have been slow-moving, and the political system remains largely president-centric. Genuine debate and criticism of government policies remain restricted, limiting parliament’s role in governance. According to the Freedom House 2022 Report, Uzbekistan remains low on the Democracy Index, ranking 149th out of 167 countries. The PB is part of the ongoing reforms, aiming to increase transparency in the allocation of funds. Previously, all budget related matters were managed by the omnipotent presidential apparatus and the president himself. This system allows people to submit their proposals and vote on those that reflect their needs through an online portal. Each citizen can cast one vote. Projects with the most votes are placed on a priority list to receive funds. The history of participatory budgeting in Uzbekistan dates back to the 2018 presidential decree “On measures to ensure openness of budget data and active participation of citizens in the budget process.” It created a norm under which at least 10 percent of surplus revenues of districts’ budgets went to projects proposed by citizens. The 2021 presidential decree “On additional measures to ensure the active participation of citizens in the budget process” guaranteed allocation of 5 percent of the approved expenditures and at least 30 percent of additional revenues of district and city budgets to citizens initiatives. That same year it was piloted in every region of Uzbekistan. Starting from 2022, the government rolled out the practice of participatory budgeting to all districts. Proposals are submitted and voted on twice a year. In 2022, 1,418 projects received funds. Of these initiatives, 32 percent were related to internal road repair, 13 percent to school repair or equipping, 12 percent to repairing and installing streetlights, 8 percent to improving water supply and drainage systems, and 6 percent to renovating hospitals. Here is a YouTube video containing news on the results of the Participatory Budget project in 2022. For 2023, over UZS 2 trillion (USD 175 million), have been allocated.