Uzbekistan presidential election voting is underway | Election News

President Shavkat Mirziyoyev faced no real opposition in Sunday’s vote and will almost certainly win a second term.

Voters in Uzbekistan are voting in the presidential election. The current President Shavkat Mirziyoyev faces no real opposition and is almost certain to win a second term.

This Central Asian country with a population of 34 million began voting on Sunday at 8 am local time (03:00 GMT) and will continue until 8 pm (15:00 GMT).

In the process of fighting for a second five-year term, Mirziyoev faced four competitors who were loyal to the government and who stood out from the rubber stamp parliamentary parties.

A potential independent challenger and academic Khidirnazar Allakulov failed in the first obstacle after failing to register a party that could nominate him.

Human Rights Watch said this month that officials “harassed (Arakulov’s) party supporters and interfered with their efforts to collect signatures for registration.”

Shavkat Mirziyoev faces four competitors who are loyal to the government and stand out from the rubber stamp parliamentary parties [File: Alexei Druzhinin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP]

Mirziyoyev’s anticipated victory will allow him to deepen his largely successful reform movement and may lead to further opening of Uzbekistan to foreign trade and investment—while maintaining a highly centralized political system.

He came to power in 2016 after the death of his mentor Islam Karimov, who was the first president of Uzbekistan after independence and ruled the country for 27 years.

The new leader was praised for initiating what he called “New Uzbekistan,” which ended the decades-long system of forced labor in cotton fields, where thousands of schoolchildren used to work with their teachers.

He controlled a strong security service, introduced limited media freedom, and supervised the release of political prisoners who were eventually imprisoned because of Karimov’s zero tolerance for dissent.

He also presided over an unprecedented boom in foreign tourism and rebuilt the country’s relations with Russia and the West.

During the Uzbekistan presidential election in Tashkent on October 24, 2021, men collect votes at the polling station [Vyacheslav Oseledko/ AFP]

But with the end of his first term, the 64-year-old is trying to dispel the impression that his government is regressing to the habits of his long-standing predecessor.

The impact of the pandemic has also weakened his initial economic achievements, and the unemployment rate remained high despite the sharp rise in the cost of living.

“We are looking forward to change. For example, salary increases-our salary is small and we don’t always get it,” said 20-year-old student Urazali Ergashev.

He added that his mother is a teacher and often faces salary delays.

The majority of Uzbeks interviewed by Agence France-Presse in the capital Tashkent said they were not worried about the lack of real choices in the ballot papers.

“Why do we need so many choices when things are going well?” asked pensioner Yakub Otazhanov.

“Let Mirziyoev (go on).”

For many people in Tashkent, the problem today is poverty, not human rights.

“There are a lot of poor and homeless people. We need to find housing for people,” said a 26-year-old money changer in the city’s Chorsu market.

The person who said his name was Saldo, and he said he would vote for Mirziyoev.

“I hope he can help solve these problems.”