TASHKENT, Uzbekistan, Monday, Oct. 25--President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of the Republic of Uzbekistan won a landslide victory in the Presidential elections held throughout the country yesterday. Early estimates indicated that Mirziyoyev won over 80% of the total number of votes that day.
His successful re-election is expected to allow him to further strengthen his substantially successful reform campaign and to likely lead to Uzbekistan opening up further to foreign trade and investment.
Shortly after voting ended at 8 p.m. yesterday, Chairman Zayniddin Nizamkhodjaev of the Central Election Commission said at a briefing session that voter turnout totaled 89.8%, which was larger than 87.7% reported in the previous elections in 2016 vote.
Chairman Nizamkhodjaev announced that the Uzbek people acknowledged that the voting was carried out in a transparent form in line with international practices and norms and democratic rules.
President Mirziyoyev, who took office in 2016 following the passage of the late former President Islam Karimov, is widely known to have made improvements while in office after the passage of his predecessor.
President Mirziyoyev had four other candidates in a competition, but many analysts in political circles had anticipate that the incumbent President would garner a landslide victory.
His competitors talked about abstract things like strengthening social security, but they didn’t provide any details and a real program.
The 64-year-old leader of Uzbekistan has rebuilt the resource-rich country's ties with both Russia and the West, especially with the Republic of Korea where he has been maintaining close ties of relations and cooperation with President Moon Jae-in.
"I voted for Shavkat Mirziyoyev, basing my decision on the real situation," said a 42-year-old Tashkent resident.
