Outgoing Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was widely re-elected in Sunday’s presidential election and will lead Central Asia’s most populous country for another seven years, which he has ruled since 2016.
Mirziyoyev obtained 87.05% of the votes with a participation close to 80%, according to preliminary results released yesterday by the Electoral Commission at a press conference in the capital, Tashkent.
With this new mandate, Mirziyoyev will preside over the destiny of the country until at least 2030. In 2016 he was elected with 88.61% of the vote and in 2021, with 80.12% in elections criticized by international observers, reports AFP .
His three opponents, unknown to the public, got between 3% and 4%, according to the Electoral Commission.
Only five political parties are authorized in Uzbekistan and all are loyal to the leader.
Following the announcement of the result, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Mirziyoyev for his “broad popular support.” Chinese President Xi Jinping offered to “promote the continued development of the comprehensive strategic partnership” between the two countries, CCTV reported.
Mirziyoyev called these elections after the referendum on April 30, approved by more than 90% of the votes, which validated the passage of the presidential term from five to seven years, which authorizes him to run for two additional terms.
With these measures, the Uzbek leader, who had been his predecessor’s prime minister between 2003 and 2016, could theoretically remain in power until 2037.
Mirziyoyev has said that he wants to continue his openness policy to break the isolation of Uzbekistan.
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