Uzbek officials said voters approved a series of constitutional amendments that, among other things, pave the way for President Shavkat Mirziyoev to stay in office until 2040.
Outside observers said the April 30 vote appeared to run smoothly, but there appeared to be problems with ballot counting. Observers also noted wider problems in Uzbek society with a lack of genuine political opposition or independent media.
The Central Election Commission said on May 1 that the proposed changes were approved with 90.2 percent of the vote.
In the run-up to the referendum, authorities had billed the changes as a way to improve governance in the tightly controlled nation. Officials heavily promoted the vote, holding concerts and rallies ahead of the balloting to promote the reforms. Billboards in the capital, Tashkent, showed imaginary text conversations encouraging Uzbek to cast their ballots.
SEE ALSO: Curb Your Enthusiasm! Uzbekistan's Campaign To Extend Mirziyoev's Reign Goes Into OverdriveThe most closely watched question on the ballot effectively zeroed in on Mirzoyev’s current tenure, and also extended the presidential term from five years, to seven. The result is that Mirziyoev, 65, can now serve until 2040. His current term ends in 2026.
A former prime minister, Mirziyoev came to power in 2016, succeeding the late longtime leader Islam Karimov, who had turned Uzbekistan into one of the most oppressive countries in the world.
Mirziyoev undertook a series of reforms to modernize the country’s oppressive bureaucracy, pushing Karimov loyalists out of top government posts and bringing in younger technocrats.
He also clamped down on forced labor in the cotton harvest, which is a major source of hard currency.
But activists say rights abuses persist, there is no viable political opposition, and independent media are tightly restricted.
Observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which monitored the vote, said that the voting process was “technically well-prepared and widely promoted as intending to enhance various rights and freedoms.”
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Uzbek Referendum Poised To Extend Presidential Terms, Remove Death Penalty
However, “the referendum took place in an environment without genuine political pluralism, and there was no organized opposition to the amendments and the referendum,” the observers said in their May 1 preliminary report.
In a few of the polling stations visited by the group, “various serious violations were observed during voting and counting undermining the integrity of the process.”
In July 2022, protests broke out in Karakalpakstan over a constitutional amendment that would have reduced the autonomy of the region.
SEE ALSO: In Uzbekistan's Karakalpakstan, Trial Over Deadly Unrest Makes A 'Hero' Of Its Intended VillainThe protests were met with a harsh police response that killed at least 21 people, according to rights activists. Dozens of people were jailed.
The proposed amendment was later withdrawn. The April 30 ballot did not include the amendment.
Other changes include abolishing capital punishment and boosting legal protections for people accused of crimes.