WORLD NEWS | Uzbekistan votes on reforms to extend presidential term

TASHKEN, April 30 (AP) — Voters in Uzbekistan, the most populous former Soviet Central Asian republic, went to a referendum Sunday on a revised constitution that promises human rights reforms but also allows the country’s president to be re-elected until 2040.

Approval seems certain. Supporters have staged a series of campaigns featuring local celebrities, and Uzbekistan’s election is widely seen as non-competitive.

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The proposed reforms include extending the presidential term from five to seven years while retaining the existing two-term limit.

But while President Shavkat Mirziyoyev is in his second term, the change in term length will allow him to run two more times after his current term ends in 2026.

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Other changes include abolishing the death penalty and strengthening legal protections for citizens, including those accused of crimes.

Under Mirziyoyev’s predecessor, Islam Karimov, Uzbekistan was one of the most authoritarian countries in the region. Mirziyoyev, who took over after Karimov’s death in 2016, touted constitutional reforms as a sign that Uzbekistan would put freedom and human rights first.

Changes announced at the time would include removing Karakalpakstan’s right to vote on secession when the referendum was originally scheduled for last year but was postponed due to deadly unrest in the Karakalpakstan region.

While secession is highly unlikely, the proposal has angered residents of the impoverished and environmentally beleaguered republic, which accounts for a third of Uzbekistan’s territory but just 5 percent of the country’s 36 million people. Massive riots erupt in Nukus, the capital of Karakalpaque; at least 18 people have been killed in clashes with police.

The new package voted on Sunday preserves Karakalpakstan’s right to secession. (Associated Press)

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