Mirziyoyev marks landslide victory in Uzbekistan presidential election

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
10 Jul 2023 10:06

The incumbent President wins the election after receiving 87.05% of the vote in the country.

Uzbekistani President Shavkat Mirziyoyev casts his ballot at a polling station, Tashkent, Uzbekistan, July 9, 2023. (Uzbekistan's Presidential Press Office via AP)

President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev extends his presidential run after obtaining 87.05% of votes in the country's presidential elections, Central Election Commission (CEC) Chairman Zayniddin Nizamkhodjayev said on Monday.

87.05% of Uzbekistani voters "voted for the candidate from the Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev," Nizamkhodjayev said at a press conference.

The turnout in this year's elections was recorded at 79.8% or 15.6 million voters, the government agency stated.

Earlier on April 30, voters in Uzbekistan went to the polls to decide on a constitutional amendment that would extend President Shavkat Mirziyoyev's rule until 2040.

On May 1, the reforms were accepted and put into practice after being approved by 90.21 percent of votes with an 84.54 percent turnout.

Mirziyoyev, 65, became President in 2016 after the death of former President Islam Karimov.

He maintains that the constitution's revision will enhance government and quality of life in the Central Asian country with 35 million people, whose rights have long been severely curtailed.

The constitutional amendments increase the length of presidential terms from five to seven years, enabling him to run for office twice more and hold the position until 2040.

They also permit non-farming land ownership and refer to Uzbekistan as a "social state" with expanded welfare obligations.

Additionally, the amendments abolish the death penalty and establish greater legal protection for an individual's rights, such as the right to remain silent when the police are holding them and the concept of habeas corpus, which protects against wrongful and indefinite detention.