TASHKENT (Reuters) – Uzbekistan’s President, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, secured a landslide victory in his re-election bid, receiving an impressive 87.1% of the vote, according to preliminary results announced by the Central Election Commission on Monday.
Mirziyoyev, who has been at the helm of Central Asia’s most populous nation since 2016, called for a snap election after changing the constitution through a referendum. This constitutional change reset his term count and allowed for a lengthened presidential term of seven years, up from the previous five.
The 65-year-old president has been instrumental in opening up Uzbekistan, home to 35 million people, to foreign trade and investment. He has also taken steps to ease restrictions on religious and political freedoms. However, it is worth noting that there is still no significant opposition presence or prominent politicians in the country.
Since the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict, Mirziyoyev has demonstrated his diplomatic adeptness by maintaining strong ties with both Russia, a former Soviet overlord and long-standing partner, as well as the West. Tashkent has actively called for peace and has not recognized the self-declared independence of pro-Russian statelets in eastern Ukraine.
Reporting on the election results was done by Mukhammadsharif Mamatkulov, with writing by Olzhas Auyezov. The article was edited by Jason Neely and Toby Chopra.
Credit: The Star : News Feed
