Table of Contents
Recent Developments
Uzbekistan’s incumbent president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, has won a new seven-year term in a snap election in which he was pitted against three weaker opponents from the Ecological Party, The People’s Democratic Party, and the Adolat Democratic Party.Â
Mirziyoyev received more than 87% of the vote, and each of the other challengers had about 4% of the vote share, Uzbekistan’s election commission stated.
Uzbekistan has been the most populous Central Asian nation since 2016.The election on Sunday was based upon the constitutional referendum, which increased the existential presidential term from five years to seven years.
Election & Constitutional Amendment
Mirziyoyecv’s re-election campaign was focused on the economy and education. He stated that he aims to double the country’s gross Domestic Product (GDP) from $80 billion to $160 billion in the near future.
In 2021, Mirziyoyev was elected to his second five-year term as the president of Uzbekistan, which was the constitutional limit at that time. However, the amendments introduced thereon allowed him to run for two more terms, allowing him to stay in the office for the next two years.
Mirziyoyev’s Rule in Uzbekistan
Mirziyoyev came into power in 2016 after the death of longtime dictator Islam Karimov. On his appointment as president, he introduced several new political and economic reforms in Uzbekistan that smoothed and eased out some of the monarchial authoritarian policies of the previous dictator, which made Uzbekistan one of the world’s most repressive countries.
The reforms introduced simplified taxes, removed roadblocks for businesses, and further allowed them to resolve many of their bureaucratic problems through filing petitions on the presidential website.
Various international NGOs have stated that human rights have also fared better in Uzbekistan under the rule of Mirziyoyev, as he ended the rule of forced labour in the cotton industry and further released political prisoners jailed during the Karimov regime.Â
Along with the heaps of praise, he has also been accused of weakening the attempt of Uzbekistan to become a democracy, as, similar to several post-Soviet countries like Belarus, Tajikistan, and even Karimov, who increased their terms through constitutional amendments, he too has extended his term. Various analysts have inferred that behind his reformist image, he too is following the monarchial approach.
At the same time, Uzbekistan has remained authoritarian with no significant opposition to the ruling president. All the political parties registered in Uzbekistan are loyal to Mirziyoyev.
Mirziyoyev’s stance on Russia- Ukraine conflictÂ
Similar to other Central Asian nations that have close economic ties with Russia, Mirziyoyev too has maintained a delicate balancing act after Russian authorities invaded Ukraine, neither backing it completely nor condemning the said act while minimising the collateral damage from the Western sanctions imposed against its conventional trading partner Russia during the conflict.
The Russia- Ukraine conflict has made it difficult for the millions of Uzbek living in Russia as the Russian rouble’s value has plummeted quickly
As the conventional energy exporter, Uzbekistan now consumes more oil and gas than it produces thus importing Russian hydrocarbons to match its oil and gas requirements taking advantage of the Moscow export redirected from the West
Russia & China’s reaction
Uzbekistan, a former Soviet Republic is located between Russia and China while at the same thing sharing border with the Afganistan. After the elections result were declared Russian President Vladimir Putin the win “confirms your high political authority and points to the broad, popular support for your policy of large-scale reforms,” he wrote.
Both of the Presidents apparently spoke on the phone and discussed their strategic partnerships.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping also congratulated Mirziyoyev on phone while pointing out that in recent years, during his rule China- Uzbekistan relations have developed increasingly well and he expexts Uzbekistan’s cooperation in various fields thus strengthening their bilateral relations while outlining that he cherishes the good working relationship and personal friendship with the Uzbekistan. Xi had hosted Mirziyoyev and other Central Asian leaders for a summit in China in May.
