Uzbeks go to the polls

People in Uzbekistan are going to the polls to determine the leader who will rule the country for 7 years. 

According to the data of the Central Election Commission of Uzbekistan, more than 19,500,000 voters registered in the country will be able to vote in 10,784 ballot boxes established across the country in the early presidential election that started at 8:00 a.m. local time. Citizens abroad will be able to vote at 56 polling stations in 39 countries.

Citizens have the opportunity to vote until 8:00 pm local time.

Nearly 800 observers and more than a thousand members of the press are watching the elections. 

FAVORITE CANDIDATE MIRZIYOYEV

Ulugbek Inoyatov from the People's Democratic Party, President Shavkat Mirziyoyev from the Liberal-Democratic Party, Robahon Mahmudova from the "Adolat" Social Democratic Party, and Abdushukur Hamzayev from the Ecology Party are running in the elections, with President Mirziyoyev emerging as the favorite candidate, Ihlas reported. 

It is also argued that Mirziyoyev decided to go to early elections in order to get the vote of confidence of the voters again after the constitutional amendment adopted in the referendum held in April.

President Mirziyoyev signed a decree on May 8 to hold early presidential elections on July 9. 

Shevket Mirziyoyev, who was elected President of Uzbekistan in 2016 after the death of former President Islam Karimov, was re-elected President for a 5-year term in the 2021 elections.

CONSTITUTION WAS RENEWED

The presidential elections scheduled for July 9 will be the first after amendments to the constitution based on the results of the referendum held on April 30, 2023.

In the Constitution, the number of members of the Senate, the upper house of Uzbekistan's parliament, was reduced from 100 to 65, and the term of office of the president was increased from 5 to 7 years. The constitutional amendments banned the death penalty and extradition of citizens to foreign countries.

Source: Ihlas - Trend