Uzbek interim leader win in presidential vote

AFP, BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan: Uzbekistan’s interim leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev has won a crushing victory to become the country’s second-ever president following the death of long-reigning strongman Islam Karimov, official results showed Monday. The Central Election Commission said Mirziyoyev scooped 88.6 percent of the vote in Sunday’s election, according to a preliminary count in this Central Asian country of 32 million which has no tradition of competitive elections.Mirziyoyev’s margin of victory to secure a five-year term echoes those won by predecessor Karimov, who died of a stroke in September after 27 years at the helm of the commodity-rich country.An OSCE-led monitoring mission said there were “indications of ballot box stuffing and widespread proxy voting” during the vote.“The dominant position of state actors and limits on fundamental freedoms undermined political pluralism and led to a campaign devoid of genuine competition,” mission head Peter Tejler said at a press conference broadcast online from the Uzbek capital Tashkent.Russian President Vladimir Putin “warmly congratulated” Mirziyoyev on his victory in a phone call and invited him to visit, the Kremlin said in a statement.

 

Uzbek interim leader win in presidential vote

AFP, BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan: Uzbekistans interim leader Shavkat Mirziyoyev has won a crushing victory to become the countrys second-ever president following the death of long-reigning strongman Islam Karimov, official results showed Monday. The Central Election Commission said Mirziyoyev scooped 88.6 percent of the vote in Sundays election, according to a preliminary count in this Central Asian country of 32 million which has no tradition of competitive elections.Mirziyoyevs margin of victory to secure a five-year term echoes those won by predecessor Karimov, who died of a stroke in September after 27 years at the helm of the commodity-rich country.An OSCE-led monitoring mission said there were indications of ballot box stuffing and widespread proxy voting during the vote.The dominant position of state actors and limits on fundamental freedoms undermined political pluralism and led to a campaign devoid of genuine competition, mission head Peter Tejler said at a press conference broadcast online from the Uzbek capital Tashkent.Russian President Vladimir Putin warmly congratulated Mirziyoyev on his victory in a phone call and invited him to visit, the Kremlin said in a statement.