The polls have closed in Uzbekistan’s presidential election, with incumbent leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev expected to secure his third term in office. State media showed Mirziyoyev casting his ballot in the capital, Tashkent, with around 70 percent of registered voters having cast their ballots as of 5 p.m. The announced turnout surpassed the 33 percent required to validate the poll.
Learn more about Uzbekistan’s government and media.
Official results are yet to be announced, with international observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe set to present their report on election processes on July 10. Mirziyoyev oversaw a constitutional referendum earlier this year that increased the presidential term from five years to seven and cleared the way for him to serve two more terms, potentially keeping him in power until 2037. Critics have pointed to a crackdown on minority unrest and a lack of political competition in the country.
Learn more about Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Earlier this year, he oversaw a constitutional referendum that increased the presidential term from five years to seven and cleared the way for him to serve two more terms. He could remain in power until 2037.
“The victory of the incumbent president is obvious,” Uzbek political expert Farkhod Talipov told the AFP news agency ahead of the election. “All the other candidates are completely unknown and unpopular.”
View MBFC’s country freedom map to learn why Uzbekistan is rated as having limited freedom.
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