President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev. Alexei Druzhinin / AP
The outcome given when Uzbekistan elects a president
On paper, five candidates are running in this weekend's presidential election in Uzbekistan. But already in advance, it is a given that the sitting president, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, will remain, writes AFP.
- The other candidates are unknown and unpopular. Their candidacies are just an artificial way to show off a political competition that doesn't exist, says analyst Farkhod Talipov.
Mirziyoyev, who succeeded Islam Karimov in 2016, pushed through a reform earlier this year that will allow him to remain in office until 2037. He has promised during the election campaign to develop the country's economy and implement social reforms.
He also wants to improve the education system and continue to open up the country to the outside world.
Uzbekistan
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Vote counting during the last election in 2021. AP
Oppositional: They use the dirtiest methods possible
President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has dominated Uzbek politics for almost a decade and it is already clear in advance that he will be re-elected in this weekend's elections, as the country lacks a functioning multi-party system. Radio Free Europe has interviewed Xidirnazar Allaqulov, a former university rector who for the second election in a row failed to get his opposition party registered.
He describes how he recently collected signatures to be able to register the party, but was then arrested and beaten at a police station. After the incident, he himself is now being investigated for assault.
- They use the dirtiest methods available to hinder our party's work. This time it was about open violence, he says.
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