Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev spoke to campaign staff and reporters shortly after the results announcement. “I am grateful to and bow in front of our mothers, sisters, daughters, fellow party members for trusting and choosing me,” he said.
Mirziyoyev has been re-elected for a second five-year term, winning 80.1% of the vote in Sunday’s poll. Mirziyoyev’s widely expected victory will allow him to deepen his reform campaign and likely lead to Uzbekistan opening up further to foreign trade and investment. Shavkat Mirziyoyev toured the country to promise supporting local communities and bridging the gap between rich and poor. Experts say that inequality will be the biggest challenge during his second term.
View this post on Instagram
Mirziyoyev has lifted some restrictions on religious practices, reined in the powerful security services and overseen the release of some political prisoners. He has also rebuilt the resource-rich country’s ties with both Russia and the West and pledges to cut poverty through rapid economic growth and gradually decentralise decision-making by devolving some powers to district councils.
Uzbekistan and Afghanistan share a 144-kilometer (89-mile) border, and Uzbekistan has consistently worried that conflict in its neighbor could spill over. The ex-Soviet republic’s foreign minister became the first foreign official to visit Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country in August.
Observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe said that recent political reforms had not yet resulted in a genuinely pluralistic environment. Central Election Commission Chairman Zayniddin Nizamkhodjaev said the vote adhered to democratic standards as he declared Mirziyoyev victorious on Monday, citing preliminary results.
