Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved

A pistillate walks to formed her ballot astatine a polling presumption during the statesmanlike predetermination successful Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Sunday, Oct. 24, 2021. Uzbekistan's President, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who has relaxed galore of the policies of his dictatorial predecessor but has made small effort astatine governmental reform, is expected to triumph a caller word by a landslide against anemic contention successful an predetermination Sunday. (AP Photo)

TASHKENT – Uzbeks voted Sunday successful a statesmanlike predetermination that the incumbent is expected to triumph successful a landslide against anemic competition.

Although Shavkat Mirziyoyev has relaxed galore of the policies of his dictatorial predecessor, helium has made small effort astatine governmental reform.

Mirziyoyev, who took bureau successful 2016 upon the decease of Islam Karimov, faces 4 comparatively low-visibility candidates who didn't adjacent amusement up for televised debates, alternatively sending proxies who failed to prosecute successful important discussions. Independent candidates weren't allowed.

“The different candidates speech astir abstract things similar strengthening societal security, but they don't supply immoderate details. They don't person a existent programme and they don't person to due to the fact that they cognize who volition win,” said governmental expert Akhmed Rahmonov.

The lone Mirziyoyev challenger who got important announcement successful the run was Alisher Qodirov, with his connection that Uzbeks moving extracurricular the state should wage taxes successful Uzbekistan, a wide unpopular thought for the ample stock of the colonisation that depends connected remittances from household members abroad.

Ad

Mirziyoyev openly disagreed with the connection and immoderate observers suggested that Qodirov, whose enactment is successful conjugation with Mirziyoyev's successful the parliament, made it successful bid to transmission votes to the incumbent.

Under Mirziyoyev, state of code has expanded compared with the suppression of the Karimov era, and immoderate autarkic quality media and bloggers person appeared. He besides relaxed the choky controls connected Islam successful the predominantly Muslim state that Karimov imposed to antagonistic dissident views.

He besides lifted controls connected hard currency, encouraging concern from abroad, and helium moved to spot up overseas relations that soured nether Karimov.

“Mirziyoyev improved relations with satellite players specified arsenic Russia, China and the West, portion besides resolving conflicts with neighbors including establishing peaceful enactment with Afghanistan,” said Andrey Kazantsev of the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Relations.

Ad

Uzbekistan and Afghanistan stock a 144-kilometer (89-mile) border, and Uzbekistan has consistently disquieted that struggle could spill over. The ex-Soviet republic's overseas curate became the archetypal overseas authoritative to sojourn Afghanistan aft the Taliban took power of the state successful August.

___

Uliana Pavlova and Jim Heintz contributed to this communicative from Moscow.

Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This worldly whitethorn not beryllium published, broadcast, rewritten oregon redistributed without permission.