The citizens of Uzbekistan will now have to decide who exactly will be their president for the next seven years. The fact is that on April 30 a referendum was held in the country, as a result of which significant changes were made to the Constitution, one of which increased the term of office of the head of state from five to seven years.
There were so many amendments (about 65% of the Constitution was rewritten) that the political and legal field of the country and the balance of power between the branches of power changed significantly, which also required a “reset” of presidential power. At the very least, the head of the republic, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, gave reasons for his decision to hold early elections. And today the citizens of Uzbekistan go to the polls.
This time, four candidates are running for the presidency: the incumbent head of state Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who was nominated by two parties at once – the Liberal Democratic Party and the Democratic Party Milliy Tiklanish, Ugulbek Inoyatov, representing the Democratic Party People’s Republic, Robakhon Makhmudova of the Social Democratic Adolat Party and Abdushukur Khamzaev of the Green Party. Their programs are very similar. Thus, Mirziyoyev promises to achieve sustainable economic development, to double the GDP, to provide the population with drinking water, to provide access to school and preschool education, to medical care, especially for people with diseases oncological and cardiovascular, diabetes. Inoyatov proposes to pass a law on minimum consumer spending, which would provide jobs for the population, support children, women, the elderly, pay more attention to the educational and medical sphere and attract investment to the country . Mahmudova promises, if elected, to support entrepreneurs, to ensure social justice and the sustainable development of the economy, science, innovation, and to guarantee equal rights for men and women. women. Khamzaev, meanwhile, intends to focus on solving environmental problems, greening the country, introducing new technologies, energy security and promoting a healthy lifestyle.
The favorite, according to research, is the current president. He is the most experienced politician of all the candidates, and in Uzbekistan this is of great importance. He is expected to be able to win the support of around 80% of voters.
Photo: Yuri Kogalov/RG
Turnout in Uzbekistan is traditionally high. It is expected to reach 90% this time. Usually, most voters come in the first half of the day, so that those who work on this day can go about their business, and others can celebrate such an important event: elections in the republic are a public holiday and an opportunity to socialize with family and friends. Today, the weather will also play a role. In Tashkent at 8 a.m. the air warmed up to 30 degrees Celsius, and then it will only warm up.
The first voters showed up at the polling stations just before they opened. According to Sergei Rachkov, an observer from the CIS, “the mood is optimistic, festive”, “people understand that this is a major political event that will determine the future development of the country”. “Participants opened on time, the process goes smoothly, voters are registered electronically, they check the database,” he shared his first impressions with RG.
By the way, some citizens voted early. According to the CEC, from June 28 to July 5, more than 370,000 people took advantage of this opportunity, including about 100,000 abroad. A total of 19,593,838 voters are registered in Uzbekistan. As soon as the participation rate exceeds 33%, the elections will already be considered valid.
Photo: Yuri Kogalov/RG
Interesting fact: a new identification system, a biometric system, will be tested in Tashkent during these elections. It is installed on 50 sites. To receive a ballot, citizens must attach a passport or other identity card to the scanner and stand facing the camera so that the computer can verify the data. However, this will not eliminate the need to sign the voters list. If the experiment goes well, the system will be used in other elections.
According to the head of the CEC of Uzbekistan, Zainiddin Nizamkhojaev, everything that happens in the polling stations will be transmitted in real time to the CEC, where there will be observers. To do this, at least two cameras were installed in all polling stations. In addition, party representatives will be present throughout the day. As for the international observers, about 800 of them came to Uzbekistan this time – from various organizations, including the CIS, the OSCE, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the World Organization electoral bodies.
Polling stations will close at 8 p.m., after which the counting of votes will begin. Preliminary results are expected to be released on Monday, July 10.
Read the Latest Science and Technology News Today on The Eastern Herald.
