Uzbek Prez calls for early elections

New Delhi, June 17

The President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev has called for an early poll three and a half years before the end of his term. Campaigning has already began and polling is scheduled for July 9. Mirziyoyev is only the nation’s second President. He succeeded Islam Karimov, who died in office after ruling for 25 years.

“The people expect us to make important changes. All the links of power are being reformed as the relations and the balance between them are changing. Also, the updated Constitution poses new political and socio-economic challenges to the President, parliament, government, ministers and khokims (regional governor),” said Mirziyoyev.

As many as five parties had submitted requests to put up candidates for the Presidential elections and all of them were approved, as per the Uzbek Election Commission.

In the lower House of Uzbekistan, Mirziyoyev’s Liberal Democratic Party of Uzbekistan has only 53 deputies in a House of 150. But Alisher Qodirov, whose Milliy Tiklanish” has 32 seats, is backing Mirziyoyev instead of opposing him as he did the last time in 2021. But some challengers like the Erk Democratic Party were not allowed to put up a candidate and The Truth and Progress Party was denied registration.

India would be looking for stablity in Uzbekistan as talks take place on a trilateral they have with Iran for routes from the port of Chabahar. Among the candidates are The Ecological Party’s Abdushukur Khamzaev, People’s Democratic Party of Uzbekistan’s Ulugbek Inoyatov and Robakhon Mahmudova, a woman candidate from Social Democratic Party “Adolat”.